Love Me Hate Me
by mesmerizedbyceruleaneyes
Summary: He's my complete opposite. He loves sweets. I'm allergic. He's sporty. I'm arty. He's popular. I'm not. MaruiXOC, OC's POV. "I was just thinking, we’ve never really gone out in the literal sense." Complete; disclaimer on my profile.
1. Prologue

Prologue 

The tinkle of the door chimes alerted me to the visitor. "Konnichiwa, Shu-ji-san," came a familiar, cheerful voice; a voice that I'd heard almost daily for close-on three years now.

"Ah, Marui-kun, you're early today. Was tennis practice cancelled?" The mellower tone of my father, Shu Kouji, drew a sharp contrast against the brighter pitch of the boy.

"Yes; Mura-buchou needed to go for another checkup. Apparently he has to have one every month until the end of the year." I could almost hear the shrug that he added to the end of the sentence. " Can I have an extra bag of the apple-flavored bubblegum?"

"Of course. Oh dear… we do seem to have run out. Marui-kun, I swear you clear us out each time you come," said my father, chuckling. "Wait a moment while I locate our extra stocks, if you please."

"Sure, Shu-ji-san."

Heavy footfalls traveled across the floor towards where I was seated, hidden behind the partition between the shop and the kitchen, folded up into the corner. Father walked right past me without seeing me, just as I had hoped he would. "Kitari, could you help me find the extra stock of apple-flavored bubblegum? Kitari?"

I shrank down even further, trying to make myself invisible. Why did Father always want me to serve Marui-kun when he came when he knew all too well that we just couldn't get along? And the problem was, he being a very regular guest to our shop, I couldn't just say whatever I wanted.

As always, though, he found me. When he saw my huddled form, he shook his head in exasperation. "Kitari, you do this every time he comes. Why don't you just get used to him?"

I stared up at him defiantly. "I don't _ever_ want to get used to him."

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I watched as he left our shop, a small sigh of relief escaping my lips as the chimes tinkled once more. I had survived another of his visits without feeling a strong urge to either punch his head in and use it for growing orchids (not that I'd ever be able to, since I wasn't exactly a martial artist) or to break down and cry. It was quite an accomplishment, and this kind of thing only occurred once out of every four visits.

'I still think you're in denial," a teasing voice from behind informed me.

"Shut up, Kiyou," I said eloquently, walking back into the kitchen, then up the stairs to our living room and the rest of our house above the shop.

"They do say opposites attract, lil' sistah, my brother replied, grinning in a way that did not inspire any confidence. "And you and Marui-kun are nothing if not opposites."

He did have a point. As I passed the window, I caught sight of my vague reflection – pale, sharp facial features, emphasized by my luxuriant, ebony hair, the legacy of my deceased mother.

I was also allergic to sucrose, the type of sugar used in most sweets. How ironic, when I was the confectionery shop's owner's daughter. Perhaps this allergy was what contributed to my almost anorexic appearance; Kiyou, who didn't have it, was much more robust.

Kiyou was a year older than I was, and proud to be part of the exclusive organization known to most as 'high school'. He had the same sharp-featured look as I did, but much more vibrant color-wise – his eyes were sea green where mine were dark; his skin a healthy tan where mine was almost translucently pale. And his greatest love was badminton, something considered _cool_… I loved to draw and read, both of which were considered _un-_cool.

Even though I was by rights part of the so-called _un_-cool crowd, the popularity of my brother forced me to the trailing fringes of the _cool_ group. And the fact that half the school knew Marui Bunta, self-proclaimed tensai of our school's famed tennis team, was a regular customer of my family's confectionery shop… well, it just added the fat to the fire.

The bouncy, bubblegum-blowing redhead with his slightly don't-care attitude commanded a formidable troop of fangirls, all of whom eyed by position with utmost jealousy, all jibing about my unworthiness to have such a close connection to their idol. Truly, if anyone wanted to change places with me, I would have complied, and gladly.

Wait till they find out how irritating he can be, even when he doesn't try.

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**A/N: Tell me what you think… should I really write this fic, or should I just delete it from FF net:-X**


	2. Fangirls

Chapter 1: Fangirls 

"Kyaaa! Niou-sama, look here!"

"Marui-kun, you're so cool!"

"I love you, Yukimura-sama!"

It was another day in my school, Rikkaidai Fuzokuchuu. Another day when fangirls screamed for their idols on the tennis court. Another day when I suffered at those same fangirls' hands.

Shrinking under the onslaught of sound, I hurried along the footpath across the large expanse of grass between the school gate and the main building itself. Our school wasn't exactly rich, but since the land around us was relatively cheap – or, in comparison to the land in Tokyo, _disgustingly_ cheap – the founders had apparently bought a lot more land than was actually needed, resulting in rolling grounds that could almost compete with that of Hyotei, a rich brats' school in Tokyo.

We all knew Hyotei. The Hyotei tennis team captain had come countless times to challenge Rikkaidai, ever since I could remember. I can still vaguely recall watching him, dark silver hair matted with sweat, chest heaving as he struggled to take in enough oxygen to replenish his starved cells – watching him play a long, grueling match against the tennis Emperor, Sanada Genichirou, and come almost close to winning. I had not been the only one to witness it – not that I'd seen anyone else, but somehow, by the next day, everyone knew about it. It really said something about our gossip network.

I'd barely gotten halfway to the school building when a person – or rather, three people – accosted me, barring my way.

They were pretty, well groomed and generously endowed. Not like me at all. I knew who they were from past encounters with them – Reia, Shuuei, and Aiko, the buchou, fukubuchou and secretary of Marui Bunta's fan club.

"Well, well, well… you've done it again, Ki-ta-ri-chan," drawled Reia, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder in the showy manner that seemed to be a requirement for fan club buchous and dragging out each syllable of my name in a mockery of it. "So soon after the last time, too."

Aiko tsked loudly. "The second time this week, isn't it?"

"You haven't learned," observed the quieter but more dangerous Shuuei.

Even after going through this ordeal so many times, the sinking feeling of foreboding I always got just before it was something I'd never gotten used to. "I'm sorry, Reia-san, Shuuei-san, Aiko-san," I apologized, with as much contrition as I could muster. "My father forced me."

"Dear Ki-ta-ri-chan, that excuse is dead and rotting," declared the buchou. "Try to think of something more creative, why don't you?"

"It would be more entertaining – and when you entertain us, your punishment may not be as severe." Shuuei inspected her nails. "That is not to say that you will be completely let off, of course."

"And naturally, you won't be let off this time either." Aiko closed in, a predatory grin on her face.

I cursed the day Marui Bunta ever decided that my father made the best energy-filled cakes and stocked the best green apple flavored bubblegum.

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"They tracked Marui-kun again?" inquired my best friend Akiko, frowning in sympathy.

I grimaced. "Yes… every time he comes to buy things, I get tortured by those bitches."

(Flashback)

I hurried down the corridors, praying that my ankle wouldn't give out before I got to class. There was no time to clean myself up or do anything about the split lip; I was already almost half an hour late for class – any later and I'd be condemned to detention.

Aiko had done the usual tying-up, even though they all knew I would get out of it soon enough. They got a kick out of making me get to class as late as possible, and every time when they'd finished torturing me, they made sure to tie me up with a knot simple enough that I would be able to get out of it before anyone found me – they knew I wouldn't just wait for someone to come along; I'd try to escape of my own power – yet complicated enough that by the time I was free, my wrists were rubbed raw.

It was as usual today – the skin around my wrists were an angry red, protesting the treatment I'd subjected them to; my uniform was no longer the color it should be; my body was in various stages of injury. By now, most of the first-period teachers knew not to be surprised when I came in looking as if I'd been dragged there by a horse. They also knew that I'd never tell them how it happened. I had my pride, even if I had little else.

I stumbled into class, and oh, the joy – I walked straight into someone. How extremely delightful… And to top things off, the person I'd walked into was the very person who had caused my lateness in the first place. What a miracle.

Marui Bunta, I hate you. Not only did you get yourself some very aggressive fangirls, you also made me _walk_ into you after they beat me up. I can definitely look forward to more torture later during break… because some of my dirt rubbed off onto your uniform.

(End Flashback)

"You really should tell one of the senseis," said Akiko, just as I'd known she would. We'd had this argument so many times that it had almost become routine.

"I should, but I don't want to," I replied, following the script. "It's my own problem, and I ought to handle it. They'll just do worse if they knew I was a tattletale too."

"They're going to go after you at break too, ne?" she asked, glancing at the venomous threesome. "For getting their idol's shirt dirty?"

"Oh yes, indeed. A crime punishable by law. I ought to be jailed for getting Marui-sama's shirt dirty," I said sarcastically. "But yes, they _will_ go after me. I just don't deserve this at all…"

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After break, I was decidedly worse off than before. For instance, my ankle was definitely sprained and my eardrums wouldn't be the same for at least a week.

Today was a bad day. Why? Because of his fangirls.

I wished I could actually tell him that. I wished he could look and see that I suffered from his patronage to my family's shop. I wished he didn't exist, because then his fangirls wouldn't exist either.

Clinging to Akiko's arm, I hobbled up the stairs back to class, stubbornly biting my lower lip to keep from making any sound of pain. I would not give them that satisfaction. Yet, it seemed that on this day of all days, Kami-sama had taken an aversion towards me – just as I reached the top step, my foot slipped on a carelessly spilt patch of water, and I lost my balance.

"Kitari-chan!" Akiko tried to catch me, but turned too late. My hair obscured my eyes as I fell; I braced myself for the new collection of bruises I was going to collect from this fall…

… And instead landed on something much softer and warmer than the hard linoleum floor. The person I'd fallen on coughed as the breath was knocked out of his or her lungs, and we both bumped down what was left of the flight of stairs.

We lay there for a few seconds to catch our breath and recover our senses. Then bubblegum popped beside my ear.

"Ne, Kitari-chan, you seem to have a great need to do physical damage to me today," came the all too familiar voice of the person I wanted to see least in the world.

Still disoriented, it took me a few more moments to understand exactly what was going on. Amethyst eyes blinked up at me, and he smiled wryly. "Kitari-chan, do you mind letting me up?"

Oh, Kami-sama. I'd managed to land myself on Marui Bunta – _again_. I was really going to get it from his fan club again…

Looking around, I saw several pairs of angry eyes belonging to people I recognized as Marui-worshippers pinned onto me.

Kami-sama, I hate you. Officially.

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**A/N: Does anyone still think I should continue writing? Because if I were a reader, I'd flame this fic. T.T**


	3. Drawing

Chapter 2: Drawing 

The next day, we had art class.

"Today, we'll be doing… anatomy!" announced our melodramatic art teacher, Kitaguchi-sensei, as she beamed around at us. "Well? Don't you have anything to say about it? All my other classes were quite vocal!"

Marui raised his hand. "If we're going to do anatomy, we need a model, don't we?"

"A nude female would be preferred," quipped Niou, our resident bad-boy, earning him claps on the back and wolf-whistles of agreement from most of the other boys in the class while us girls pretended not to have heard anything.

She sighed with exaggerated exasperation. "Every time I start a class on the wonderfully intricate topic of anatomy, the first thing that the boys think of is Venus de Milo. For now, though, we shall focus on one body part at a time, and I have decided to start you off with… eyes!"

Akiko frowned slightly and raised her hand. "Sensei, aren't eyes among the hardest things to draw realistically?"

Her smile nearly reached her ears. "Exactly! It is an excellent way to gauge your ability in this particular field of drawing! Now…" Turning to the blackboard, she began writing and drawing as she spoke. "Your drawing should take up approximately one-third of the paper, and I don't expect color – it should be a simple sketch…"

Ignoring her further instructions, I tore out a piece of drawing paper and checked to see if my drawing pencils were sharp. "This should be pretty easy," I said to Akiko out of the side of my mouth.

"Of course," she replied, grinning. Like me, Akiko loved to draw, though she usually liked to draw people while I preferred to depict natural scenery.

An eye… whose? Akiko's? Mine? Well, all eyes generally looked the same… maybe I could draw Kiyou's from memory?

Whenever I draw, I blank out, and this time was no different. The pain in my ankle, left over from the day before, faded; the noise of the classroom vanished. There was nothing but I, the paper, and my drawing materials, with everything turning out right – exactly the opposite of my life.

I didn't know whose eye I was drawing, but it didn't matter. The pencil danced over the paper, almost with a life of its own, lines and shadows appearing in its wake. Vengeful fangirls and perverted boys no longer existed – only I did; in this private world where I was alone but not lonely.

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"Kitari-chan?"

Slowly, I surfaced from the trance-like state I'd previously slid into, setting down the pencil I'd used in this particular drawing. Under my hands, I saw the product of my work –

"You drew my eyes, Kitari-chan."

I nearly fell out of my seat as I jerked away from the speaker who had surprised me so. Messy red-pink hair and that cocky voice – it was Marui again. Kami-sama seemed determined to get me killed by the end of the week by his fangirls.

"I did _not_ draw your eyes!" Settling back into the chair, I took a second look at the drawing. "They aren't purple –"

"They aren't supposed to be colored,' he reminded me.

Akiko leaned over from her seat across the aisle, inspecting the drawing closely. "It _is_ Marui-kun's eyes, Kitari."

I rounded on her. "Whose side are _you_ on?!"

"Well now, Kitari-chan, what have we here?" Kitaguchi-sensei swooped down from nowhere, tugging the paper from my shaking hands – shaking from anger, I suppose.

"Oooooooooh… this is _gorgeous_. As expected from you, Kitari-chan." By now, Kitaguchi-sensei knew of my skill in her subject. "Whose eye is this?"

"Mine," said Marui, and at the same time, Akiko said, "Marui-kun's."

She appraised my work, comparing it to the said model. "Hmm… yes, I can see it… it's _so_ clear; as if you took a professional photograph and made it grayscale and enlarged it –"

All of us sweatdropped at her enthusiasm. "Eto… Kitaguchi-sensei, it's just a sketch..."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I forgot myself. You've got a ten out of ten for this piece, Kitari-chan." Leaning closer, she added in a stage whisper, "Good luck with Marui-kun too, ne?" She giggled affectedly and scrawled a large red 10 in the corner of the sheet before skipping away.

I glared at her retreating back. "She actually thinks I _like_ him?!"

"You _did_ draw him. Remember, that's something that is considered quite fangirl-y," replied Akiko.

Marui had walked off immediately after Kitaguchi-sensei had started to wax lyrical over my drawing, and that most likely meant that he hadn't heard. Hopefully, anyway. And hope was in short supply right now.

Especially not when Reia, Shuuei and Aiko were glaring daggers at me.

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Biting my lip till it bled, I fought the tears that threatened to flow. Those idiots had probably done me permanent damage this time – and to my_ left wrist _at that. Being a left-hander, that meant I wouldn't be holding a pen properly for quite a while, if I ever could use my dominant hand again.

Akiko hissed in heartfelt sympathy at my plight. Sure that I wouldn't say anything about it and being the practical person she was, though, all she said was, "I hope you know how to use your right hand. Did they say why they beat you up this time?"

"Because I had the _impertinence_ to draw their Marui-sama's _gorgeous_ eyes," I growled. "More like because they can't do it anywhere near as well as I did. How do I know? I checked their attempts. Let me just say that _my_ eyes burned."

She laughed. "That's entirely possible."

"_Marui-sama!!! You're so cool!!"_ screamed somebody not too far off. Her friends also let loose with piercing squeals that sounded like a pen full of stuck pigs. "_Kyaaaa!!!! Marui-sama we love you!!!"_

Oh Kami-sama, I'd had much too much of him for one day; I was _not_ about to let myself be caught again doing something deemed improper by those obsessive fangirls of his. Abruptly I changed direction. "Come on, Akiko."

Following me towards the school garden, she observed, "It's a good thing that Hiroko-sensei is absent today – we can do whatever we want."

Hiroko-sensei was the art club teacher in charge, and being quite a sickly person, she expected us to use our club time for art, regardless of whether she was present or absent. As a result, a large amount of club time was spent lazily sketching or painting our school grounds or schoolmates, since there was no teacher to tell us what to do – Hiroko-sensei was antisocial and disliked having to deal with relief teachers; she was the art club teacher-in-charge only because of her brilliance in that field, not because of her social skills.

"I can't do anything today," I pointed out. "What with my wrist and all."

"You could try out drawing with your right hand," she suggested, flopping down under a tree and adjusting her frameless spectacles. "It'd give you something to do besides complaining."

To most, that particular line would make her sound as though she didn't care about me at all, but I knew better – it was her way of telling me that well, so what if you're injured? Show those idiotic fangirls that they can't control you, even though they think they can.

I allowed a tiny smile touch my lips. "Okay then. Let's see how I can do with my right hand."

Almost as soon as I felt the oddness of the pencil in my right hand, however, I remembered the only previous instance when I'd felt it before – and who had seen my tears at that time.

(Flashback)

"_Normal people use their right hand!_" The scratchy voice of my mother rang in my ears, refusing to go away. I rocked myself, crying silently.

How could I have known that writing with my left hand was a taboo? After all, I was only six. The kindergarten teacher had said to try writing with both hands, then stick with the one that felt more comfortable; that was exactly what I'd done.

The only problem was, the hand that felt more comfortable was my left, not my right, unlike most of the other kids.

I'd been so proud when I'd come home to tell Mother that I'd learned how to write the alphabet and my name perfectly. At that moment, she'd smiled and asked me to show her.

But when I'd picked up the pencil and held it carefully in my left hand, about to set it to the crisp white paper, her already pale face drained of what little color it had, and she'd screamed, "_No! _Why are you using your _left_ hand?!"

Puzzled, I'd replied, "It feels better than my right hand."

"Kitari –" Here she'd sat up, her sea-green eyes blazing. "_Normal people use their right hand_. I don't care if you feel better with your left; you must learn to use your right."

"I want to use my left hand!" I'd said in a flash of stubbornness.

Her eyes had turned hard, her mouth grim. And she'd slapped me.

I didn't know that a bedridden person could have so much strength. Tears had filled my eyes at the pain, and, having grabbed my paper and pencil from the table, I'd run out of the house. I'd run and run, blinded by the salty liquid that refused to stop flowing, running without knowing where I was going, running until my legs gave out.

When there were no more tears left for me to cry, I stared dully at the pencil and paper I still clutched in my hands. Maybe I should try to use my right hand, just to please Mother. Father had said, well out of her hearing, that Kiyou and I should be as nice as possible to Mother and do whatever she said, because nowadays she was always sad and this way she would be happy. We'd both agreed readily – we always obeyed her anyway, so this wasn't something difficult for either of us.

Holding the pencil tightly in my right hand, I tried to ignore the strong sense of unfamiliarity that it gave me – so unlike the way it fit perfectly into my left, as if made for that hand alone. Grimly, I set my jaw and put the pencil to the paper that had been crushed during my reckless run. "あ."

It was lopsided. "い."

It was disfigured. "う."

It was painfully ugly, yet I pressed on through the whole alphabet, covering the mauled paper with letters I could barely believe I had produced after diligently practicing the penmanship exercises for the whole school day.

Suddenly a voice interrupted my silent agony. "Don't you know how to write?" A boy with red-pink hair and a cocky grin emerged from behind me; where he'd come from I neither knew nor cared at that moment.

Flopping down beside me, he tugged the pencil from my loosened grip and flipped the paper over to the other, unused side. "Watch and learn," he declared, holding the pencil in his right hand and quickly covering that side with neat, perfect letters – "あいうえお、かきくけこ… やゆよ、わをん."

"See, that's how it's done." He admired his work. "It's really pretty good, even if I do say so myself."

Carefully, I picked up the pencil again – this time with my left hand – and pulled the paper to myself, repeating his perfect set of letters with an equally perfect one of my own – "あいうえお、かきくけこ…やゆよ、わをん."

Now he frowned slightly. "Were you writing badly on purpose? Because you're not bad at all."

"No… I just wrote with my right hand…" I whispered. Glancing at the hideous letters I had written on the first side with my right hand, I suddenly realized that I in fact _did_ have some more tears – they welled up and overflowed, stinging my still swollen eyeballs.

He watched me cry for a few seconds, apparently at a loss, then awkwardly put an arm around me in a clumsy hug. Instinctively, I leaned into him – a stranger – and let the tears stream down my cheeks.

"Kitari!" called a familiar voice – Kiyou. "Kitari!"

Another voice joined him, coming closer. "Kitari! Are you there?" It was Father.

"They're calling me," I mumbled. Immediately he let go, looking quite relieved.

"Kitari!" Kiyou appeared from nowhere, glomping me hard. "Why'd you run away?" Then, looking up, he added, "And who's he?"

I dashed the wetness away. "I… don't know…"

Father arrived too, sweeping Kiyou and me up into a tight hug. "Good Kami-sama, Kitari, I'd thought we'd lost you."

Distantly, as I melted into the warm embrace, I could hear footsteps receding… the boy, the only one apart from my own family to see me cry – had left.

The next day, Mother died – but I didn't cry. Because I'd used up all my tears the day before – and I stood beside her coffin, dry-eyed. At least she wouldn't know that I was going to continue using my left hand.

(End Flashback)

I scrunched my eyes closed. I would not cry. Not again. Not in public. Not before so many people.

"Akiko, I need to go to the toilet," I said, standing.

"Do you want me to come along?" she asked, looking worried. "You might get grabbed by fangirls again –"

"No. I'll be back soon, don't worry." With that, I hurried towards the washrooms as fast as I could – which wasn't very fast, considering that my ankle wasn't its best.

Red-pink hair and a cocky grin – I'd known long ago that the only boy apart from my brother who'd ever seen me cry was Marui Bunta. And I hated him all the more for that.

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**A/N: I'm sorry if this chapter didn't turn out as well as people would have liked and if the first part and second part don't seem to connect. I kind of wrote it in two parts – the drawing part and the writing part. And it's getting darned cliché… T.T**

**Review please!! Flame if you really think you should. I personally don't think this chapter was all that great; I'd flame myself, probably.**

**PS. "****あいうえお、かきくけこ…やゆよ、わをん" ****are the first two and last two lines of the Japanese alphabet. Like abcde and wxyz for English.**

**PPS. Some older people do think that being left-handed is a taboo. My friend's mother was originally left-handed, but was forced by **_**her**_** mother to learn to write right-handed because she apparently thought that left-handers bring bad luck. Yeah.**


	4. Anger

Chapter 3: Anger 

Some people, I knew, could cry and look beautiful. Unfortunately, I'd never been a part of that elite group – when I cried, my eyes became swollen and my lips puffed up.

I glared at my pale reflection in the mirror. "You know exactly how horrible you'll look after you cry, so why do it anyway?!" I scolded myself under my breath. Plus, if the fangirls caught me, they wouldn't hesitate to _make comments_ on my unsightliness.

Marui Bunta… you caused all my misery. You are a plague in this world, without which we'd all be better off. You saw me cry and only made my pain worse. If you did not exist, all would be right…

This last attack from Reia, Shuuei and Aiko was truly the straw that broke the camel's back. The icy hatred I'd harbored for almost three years was suddenly boiling fury, ready to overflow and burn something, someone.

As the rage simmered within me, I felt my back straighten and my eyes harden. He was going to pay for this, and pay well.

Walking out of the bathroom, I stormed over towards the tennis courts. Then, having shoved through the troops of fangirl spectators, I slammed open the door of the courts they were in.

Marui was resting on a bench nearby, with a bald guy next to him – Jackal, if I remembered correctly. I couldn't care less about him, at least for now. They, along with the others on the sidelines, looked up in surprise at my dramatic entrance.

Bubblegum popped. "Yo, Kitari-chan. Why so upset tod-"

Without waiting to hear any further, I strode over and slapped him across the face. With my right hand, since my left was out of action.

The sound rang across the tennis courts, pealed in my ears. I was panting hard, as if I'd just run a marathon; my face felt hot, but the taste of victory was sweet in my mouth. As if from a great distance, I heard screams and saw a few girls apparently falling down in a faint.

"You." My voice shook with anger; I made no effort to still it. "You've killed me, Marui Bunta." The words fell into the almost absolute silence that had followed my outrageous actions.

His violet eyes were wide in shock, his normally cool composure slipping as the cheek I'd hit began to turn an angry red. "What –"

"Your fangirls broke my wrist not more than an hour ago." Okay, so perhaps I was exaggerating – they hadn't really broken my wrist, but they'd definitely given me one damned painful twist that probably hurt just as much as any break. "And you know why? Because I just _happened_ to draw you in art class."

"Wait –"

"Because of that, I'll probably never be able to draw again. Listen, Marui, _drawing is my life_. You've taken it away. You've killed me." The surroundings had vanished; all that mattered was that I was finally able to take out my grievances.

"I –"

"Oh, that's not all. Did I forget to mention that this has been going on since freshman year, when you decided to bestow your patronage upon my father's shop? Well, now you know." The words were spilling out of my mouth, without any conscious thought or direction from me. "They've taken me to hell and made me crawl back, every time you come to buy something, every time I'm forced to serve you in the shop."

"Kitari –"

"I'm not finished. There's also –" Suddenly, a hand clamped over my mouth, effectively cutting off the rest of my speech. Twisting in my captor's grip, I saw that it was Yukimura.

The gentle-looking buchou met my eyes and smiled. "Why don't you let us hear what Bunta has to say? You haven't been letting him get a word in edgeways."

After a second's thought, I nodded, and he let go of me. "Well, Bunta?"

Running a hand through his already-mussed red-pink hair, he sighed. "Ne, Kitari-chan… I have next to no idea of what you've been saying."

What the (bleep), he had the _nerve_ to say such a thing?! You die, Marui Bunta.

He was still talking. "Still, I did get the fact that I'm involved somewhere, and seeing as you just slapped me – I must say, you're stronger than you look – I assume that I didn't play an extremely pleasant role."

You most certainly didn't, which is exactly _why_ I'm here in the first place!

"_How could you slap Marui-sama_?!!" It seemed that the fangirls had finally gotten over their shock decided to become more vocal. Oh, the horror.

"Yeah, how could you?! Marui-sama's skin will have suffered permanent damage!!" shouted someone from behind me – either a girl, or a guy doing falsetto. Judging from the place I was in, it seemed more likely to be the latter.

Immediately, the courts were invaded as the entirety of Marui's fan club swarmed through the still-open door. He himself disappeared under their overenthusiastic onslaught; I was crushed against the wire fence about three feet away.

"Marui-sama, are you really okay?" "Marui-sama, did she hurt you?" "Marui-sama, is your skin really damaged?" clamored the anxious fangirls, all trying to get as close as possible without refuting the 'personal space' rule that applies to all the fan clubs in the school – no member of the fan club must ever come within half a meter radius from their idol without express permission.

"I'm fine; I'm fine. Can you let me out?" came his slightly breathless voice – obviously somebody had broken the rule, since he'd been knocked over on his seat. Vaguely, I wondered what had happened to Jackal.

"Of course, Marui-sama!!" The group parted like the Red Sea, and Marui stumbled out.

"Niou, you idiot!" he called, dusting himself off vigorously. 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"

I spotted the aforementioned silver-haired boy leaning against the fence, safely out of the reach of the crowd. He was grinning widely. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Marui."

Yukimura grabbed my arm. "Kitari-chan, if you'll just wait a moment, I believe we can let Bunta off for the rest of practice today. Of course, he'll have to do extra laps tomorrow."

"Okay."

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"So, Kitari-chan, do you mind explaining what got me booted out of the courts by Mura-buchou today?" inquired Marui, walking casually with his hands in his pockets and the habitual bubblegum in his mouth.

By now, I'd deflated considerably, which was a problem that I quite hated. Whenever I got mad at someone, I'd blow up for at most ten minutes before running out of steam again. Even though it was _Marui_, whom I'd hated for so long, it seemed that this habit just would not break.

Perhaps the best thing I could do now was just to lay out the facts for him to analyze. No matter how much I disliked him, he was probably the only who could stop his fangirls, considering that they were _his_ fangirls in the first place. So that was what I did.

To my surprise, he actually listened, instead of just laughing it off the way I thought he would. In fact, as I talked, the popping of bubblegum became more infrequent, and when I finished, he was silent for a long while.

"So, it was really all because of me…?" he said at last.

"Pretty much, yeah," I replied, seeing to reason to let him off.

Running his hands through his hair again – it seemed to be something he did when trying to handle an awkward situation – he asked, "Would it do any good if I said I was sorry?"

"Well, it'd do more good if you told your fangirls to leave me alone," I pointed out.

He laughed, almost forcedly. "I don't think I have that much control over them. After all, it'd be easy to get you out of my sight – which is exactly what they've been doing. Believe me, if I'd seen you getting this badly beat up, I'd have done something about it."

I raised one skeptical eyebrow. "Are you trying to say that you never realized that I always come in late for class looking as though I've been dragged through a horse brush on the day immediately after you come to buy stuff from my father's place?"

"Well… I didn't think it was anything to do with me!" he defended himself. "You could just be in regular catfights; everyone knows that girls fight –"

"Oh? And how would _you_ know? Ever been a girl?" I demanded. "Ever seen the girls' locker rooms? Saa, Marui-kun, I never put you down for a pervert –"

"I'm _not_!! What the hell, Kitari-chan!!!" he protested. "Just, like, everyone says that girls fight a lot, especially over guys –"

"Boosting your own ego is bad for your health, Marui-kun," I informed him, actually beginning to enjoy the teasing repartee. "Aren't you just assuming that we fight over you?"

"Actually, some _do_," he reminded me, the smug grin back in place.

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"Ne, Kitari, I saw you walking home with Marui-kun. Does this mean something…?" asked Kiyou, so perfectly innocently that it put you on guard at once.

"No, it does _not_. Why are you so fixed on pairing us up?" I complained. "He can be such a self-centered ass at times."

"Yes, but at _other_ times he's all right, isn't he?" he teased, swiftly stealing the pepper jar. "And as to why I want to pair you two up – you are in sad need of a love life, lil' sistah. I'm just being nice and helping you out. Marui-kun's a nice guy. He'll be good for you – see, he can counterbalance your constant PMS –"

"Remember, Kiyou, I have a knife and I'm not afraid to use it," I said ominously, raising the said utensil.

"Fine, fine, I'll stop," he said, laughing. "Just remember, if you ever decide to date Marui Bunta, you have my blessing."

I glared at him, not lowering the knife as yet. "Since when did I need your blessing for _anything_, let alone who I date?"

"Father! Kitari likes Marui-kun!" he yelled over his shoulder towards the main shop – we were eating in the large kitchen, the way we always did; it was also our dining room.

"I do not! Kiyou, you shall die! I swear!"

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**A/N: I know everyone thinks I'm just fishing for compliments because I keep saying that I think each chapter is bad… but seriously, this time, it's bad. You can't deny it. I mean, Kitari is practically bipolar here. T.T **

**Please review!! I live on reviews!! More reviews inspire me to write more!! So please!!!!! (puppy eyes)**

**PS. The thing about Marui running his hands through his hair is completely made up by me. He is never shown in the anime to do that at all. It just seemed to fit the storyline here… :-X**


	5. Flash

Chapter 4: Flash 

"Well, are you going to give me the details of your confrontation of Marui-kun, or shall I have to guess?" asked Akiko during break the next day.

I'd actually managed to get off scot-free from slapping him. Today, when the three bitches known as the leaders of Marui's fan club cornered me, he'd sauntered round the corner and inquired what had been going on. They'd jumped off me and simpered at him, "Oh, nothing at all, Marui-sama," and I'd managed to run off. Kami-sama smiled on me, for once.

Just for precaution, now, I'd gotten Akiko to bag a table close enough to him that if Reia and company decided to jump me, he'd hear it and hopefully put a stop to it. He'd actually been contrite the day before, once I'd explained everything to him; he'd said that he'd do his best to prevent it from happening any more.

"I thought you said you didn't have much control over your fangirls?" I'd said with not a little skepticism.

He'd been affronted. "Kitari-chan, a man's word is his bond."

So, if he _didn't_ stop them, I would be able to tell him that a man's word really wasn't anything much at all.

I raised an eyebrow at Akiko. "Why would I _not_ tell you?"

"Hmm… maybe because something you don't really want people to know of happened," she replied, straight-faced.

"And what might _that_ be? Do _not_ say that you think I like him. I've had enough of _that_ from Kiyou last night," I grumbled. "And what's more, Father agreed with him."

"I wonder why?" commented Akiko, innocent as a bird.

I glared at her. "Not you, too!"

She blinked at me, pretending to be clueless. "Did I say anything? Nope, I'm quite sure I didn't."

"Akiko –" I began, but was interrupted when something light landed on my shoulder. Naturally, I glanced at it, and my eyes flew wide to the size of saucers.

White, almost translucent, with huge, beady black eyes staring straight back at me, long digits draped over my shoulder. Darker organs could be seen pulsating inside its body; the creature's sides throbbed as it breathed. The scales look almost slimy –

I screamed. "OH WHAT THE (BLEEP) GET IT OFF ME!!!" My chair screeched across the tiles as I leapt to my feet, frantically trying to shake the lizard off.

Lizards were one of my greatest fears in the world. Yes, I knew that they were beneficial, they ate insects, they never harmed humans at all; but there was still the immovable fact that they looked _disgusting_. I wasn't scared of cockroaches or rats, but a _lizard_ truly made me freak out – exactly as I was doing now.

The disgusting creature clung desperately to the cloth of my uniform; I shook the blouse vigorously, doing my best to dislodge it. A particularly violent flap made it slip downwards… but to my horror it slithered up again and fell down my collar.

"WHAT THE (BLEEP)?!!" I shrieked, knowing I looked and sounded like a total bimbo in a fix, but not caring in the least.

Akiko was out of her seat already, grabbing at my arms. "Calm down, Kitari! The more you move, the harder it clings!" she shouted.

"How the _(bleep)_ can I be calm when there's a _lizard_ under my clothes?!!" I yelled back.

By now, at least half the cafeteria was staring at me, but the more pressing problem was how to get that creature off of me. Abandoning any remaining pretence at dignity, I ripped at the blouse, trying to find the lizard where it raced over my body.

Oh Kami-sama, I could _feel_ the cold sliminess where it adhered to my skin. Fleeing my hands, it slipped under my bra, and I could have died of disgust right there and then. There can't be anything worse on this world than having a _lizard_ compressed between your underclothes and your breast.

The surroundings reeled; I barely knew what was going on any more. The horror of that creature pressed so firmly against my skin was more than anything I'd ever felt…

Someone, I wasn't sure who, caught hold of my arms; someone else grabbed my shoulders and held me still. Yet another person swam into my blurred vision, and I felt fingers press against lightly against my breasts – then the terrible sliminess was gone.

Whoever had hold of me lowered me to a chair; I collapsed into it, breathing harshly as I tried to retrieve my senses. Good Kami-sama, that must have been the very _worst_ experience I'd ever had with a lizard. Not that _any_ of my encounters with them had been pleasant.

"You were terrified of a _lizard_, Kitari-chan?" chuckled a familiar voice. "Don't worry; it's gone. You _can_ open your eyes you know."

Slowly, I obeyed. A large group of people, a few who I recognized, most who I didn't – but crouching directly in front of me was Marui Bunta, grinning widely. Next to him stood Akiko, with an odd look on her face.

"I suggest you button up your shirt, Kitari-chan," said someone from behind me; I twisted my head to see Jackal – he'd probably been the one holding my shoulders. Although his face betrayed nothing – being the human wall that he was known for – his voice held a distinctly strangled note.

"What – oh." Glancing at my front, I saw my blouse torn open all the way to mid-torso, baring my chest and stomach for all to see. My face heated up immediately; ducking my head in embarrassment, I quickly buttoned up.

"Great show," commented someone – Niou, by the voice. "I'll definitely be there for your next performance."

Humiliated, I felt the blush darken. Just as well that the crowd was starting to disperse – I couldn't meet anyone's eyes, not after all that.

Suddenly, I recalled the moment when the lizard had been removed – someone had touched my breasts… Surely it had been Akiko; Kami-sama, please let it have been Akiko. My head snapped up; I caught her arm. "Were you the one who got rid of the lizard?"

She shook her head slowly, her face unreadable. "I hate them as much as you do, Kitari."

The knell of doom sounded over my head; slowly, with extreme reluctance, I turned to face the redheaded boy who was just about to walk back to his own table. "You…?"

His eyes were dancing in amusement. "Yup. Don't be so shocked. It was really quite fun, getting a close-up view of –"

I glared at him. "Screw you."

Marui laughed. "You know you want to."

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"That girl over there, she was flashing for the tennis regulars during break –"

"Who? Oh, you mean Kitari-chan? Yes, I heard about that from Miyuki-chan. She said Kitari-chan actually asked Marui-kun to get it off her, even though her friend was right beside her and could have done it easily –"

"No, what I heard was that she put on the whole act! She's not really scared of lizards; it's her _pet_, she _brought_ it to school and stuffed it under her bra so that she could get him to touch –"

"Where'd you hear it from? Kayuri-chan? I'm telling you, Miyuki-chan's more reliable than that gossipmonger any day –"

The flush that had stained my cheeks since break wasn't likely to disappear any time soon. The school gossip network was extremely efficient, and even though the last bell had rung only five minutes ago, it seemed that the whole school from freshmen to seniors knew of my break-time antics. Plus, like any other piece of gossip, it was getting blown _way_ out of proportion.

"Ignore them," said Akiko, looking as serene as a Buddhist nun at prayer. "If you say anything to contradict them, they'll be even happier."

"It's _hard_ to ignore them," I gritted. "_You_ don't ever get this sort of thing!"

"Well, it's either you ignore them or you go mad," she pointed out. "And being your best friend, I think I'd prefer you to ignore them." Then she turned to look me in the eye. "Kitari, tell me truly. Did you really mind when he touched you?"

I stared back at her. "Do you _really_ think I'd _like_ it if someone molested me?!"

"No… but there is always the _possibility_. Humor me, Kitari." Her clear grey eyes were serious, searching.

"I didn't!" I exclaimed. "I mean, hell-_o,_ he's been my object of hate for two and a half years –"

"And not counting any more, being as he seems to be quite apologetic," interrupted Akiko, not looking away.

"Well _yes_ but that's not the point!" I blustered. "Nobody would like it if a guy _molested_ them _in public_ –"

"Unless one _likes_ that guy, of course," she put in, as we walked out of the school gates.

"_I do NOT like Marui Bunta_!!" I yelled, frustrated – because Akiko was starting to make sense, in a warped way.

"Oh, you don't? I'm hurt, Kitari-chan," commented the subject of our argument. "Wounded, really."

I whirled around, caught like a deer in the headlights. "What the – why – "

Marui had apparently been leaning beside the gates, Niou and a seaweed-haired kouhai in attendance. The younger boy looked every bit as mischievous as his sempais. "Hello, flasher-sempai."

I shot him my best death glare. "Say that again."

"Flasher-sempai," he repeated, unperturbed by my threatening tone. "I saw you during break. You need more chest – there was nothing but flatlands."

My face burned. Why, oh why did it have to be _this_ particularly disrespectful kouhai to have seen me?! "What are you people doing here?" I asked, trying to cover my embarrassment.

"Waiting," said Marui evasively. "And Niou, since when did you start switching with Akaya and not Yagyuu?"

The kouhai – Akaya, I assumed – pouted. "Niou-sempai didn't switch with me."

"He's been having lessons from me on how to give females constructive criticism," explained Niou, grinning. "A very fast learner, too."

"I'll say. By the way, Kitari-chan, this is Kirihara Akaya," introduced the redhead. "He's our junior ace, and unfortunately for the next generation of Rikkai tennis, he's set to be the team buchou next year."

"What do you mean, _unfortunately_?!" protested Kirihara. "I'll be as good as Mura-buchou, just you wait and see!"

"Who're you waiting for?" inquired Akiko, having watched the proceedings with not a little amusement.

"Yagyuu," replied Niou. "We're off to watch the new Death Note movie – it just came out on Saturday; it should still be in the theaters."

_Death Note_!! I screamed inwardly. I loved Death Note; it had a really interesting plotline. "Lucky pigs," I sighed wistfully. "I wish I could go. Don't you, Akiko?"

She nodded. "Well, we can always wait for the DVD to come out."

"Want to come with us?" offered Marui. "It's not like we booked tickets –"

"You should have," remarked someone else, walking out of the gate.

"What took you so long, Yagyuu-sempai?" demanded Kirihara. "You're supposed to be the Gentleman –"

"Of course, if you didn't book the tickets, it would be perfectly fine to bring these girls along," said Yagyuu, ignoring his kouhai. "That is, if they have the time to spare…"

"We do," I said immediately. "And we brought the money, too."

Niou stretched lazily before shouldering his bag. "Well, then, what are we waiting for?"

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**A/N: YAY!! I seem to be writing longer chapters nowadays!! (bounces) Reviews will make the updates faster, so… **_**please review**_

**PS**_**. IMPORTANT!!!**_** This is something **_**really**_** stupid… I have no idea what the story of the new Death Note movie is!! (dies of embarrassment) so if anyone can tell me, or can direct me to a website that can tell me, I'd be VERY appreciative!! If I don't know what the movie's about, the next chapter will take a VERY **_**LONG**_** time to write… DX**

**Erm… why did I choose to write in the Death Note movie if I don't even **_**know**_** the story? Well… let's just say that I suffer from lack of imagination. And I heard that there's a new Death Note movie. Death Note is Japanese, right? So it ought to be shown in Japan too – and it should be pretty popular. Okay, my reasons are just lame… T.T**

**PPS. The idea for this chapter comes from 'The Summoning', the first book in the 'Sisters of Isis' series by Lynne Ewing. It's… **_**okay**_**… but I must say I've seen fic writers better than her. And this is the author of the best-selling 'Daughters of the Moon' series… O.o (Her sentences **_**need**_** more variation. I was pissed off by her **_**very**_** repetitive sentence patterns… :-X but the storyline itself is fine.)**

**Thanks for all the reviews and encouragement!! (wait: reviewsencouragement, right? ) I really love this fic now!! XD**


	6. Brother

Chapter 5: Brother

"L is odd; Light is interesting," I stated.

"No! L is the best detective!" protested Akiko.

"Light _killed_ L, in case you forgot," I pointed out.

"That is _not_ the point of contention!" she argued.

"Oi, oi, calm down, you two," said Marui, hurriedly stopping us. "None of us want to handle a catfight right now."

It was now almost sunset – well, it being autumn, that meant it was around five in the afternoon. We'd finished the movie and were presently on the way home – the two of us girls with Marui and Yagyuu; Niou and Kirihara had turned down another street and left us, for reasons best left unknown.

Suddenly I remembered something. "Ne, Marui-kun, why don't you have tennis practice today?"

He laughed. "It's Friday, that's why."

"What does it being Friday have to do with anything? Don't you have practice every day?"

Yagyuu intervened. "Since the tennis competition season is more or less over, Yukimura-buchou decided to half the number of practices per week. This way, we are still fit for any exhibition matches – this is generally when exhibition matches are held – but have more time to focus on our studies for the upcoming pre-break tests. Thus, we only have practices on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays every week."

I blinked. "Isn't that more than half?"

"It's exactly half. See, we had practices on Saturdays too," explained Marui.

"I see…" I said, sweatdropping.

Akiko stopped in front of her house. "I'll be leaving you here; see you next week!" she smiled, waving at us.

I blinked again. Since when was Akiko so chirpy? "… See you…" I replied, a little uncertainly.

Yagyuu nodded a goodbye. "We had an enjoyable time," he said, polite as always.

"Ja!" called Marui as Akiko headed up to her front door.

"Actually, you two didn't need to walk us home," I told the boys as we headed further down the lane.

Popping his bubblegum, Marui grinned. "Who said we were?"

"Well, why else would you walk with us?" I asked.

"Because I live around here. Yagyuu's coming along as I borrowed one of his books and he wants it back –"

"And because if I _don't_ follow you, you'd forget to return it again," added Yagyuu.

"Well, there's that, too," the redhead admitted, not at all apologetic. "Plus, I feel like stopping by to stock up on sweets for next week."

"Of course," I said, resigned. "You'd die without your sweets."

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Unfortunately for me, the first person to greet us as we set foot into the shop was Kiyou. He was lounging against the counter and flirting blatantly with some random girl who I didn't recognize. Not that that meant anything – I had decided quite some time ago that Kiyou's aim in life was to have fun, chat up random girls and generally be a playboy.

The girl left soon after we came in. If the flustered look on her face and the corresponding grin on Kiyou's was any indication, he'd been quite successful this round. But then, he almost always was – being the ace badminton player of Rikkaidai High and an acknowledged bishounen as well as being able to maintain an A-average really had its perks.

Kiyou stretched luxuriously, his gaze sweeping over us, and a smirk appeared on his face. "Now, Kitari, two-timing isn't healthy," he admonished with mock seriousness.

I shot him a death glare. "Shut up, Kiyou," I hissed, hoping that neither of the boys heard him. They probably had, but politely pretended not to.

"Yo, Marui-kun. The usual?" asked my irritating brother, already typing the receipt. "You know where the bubblegum is. Kitari, go and get the special cakes for him. Father just got this week's batch out of the oven."

"Fine." Anything to get out of there. I headed to the back, and as he'd said, Father was there, weighing out some sugar. "Father, where's Marui's cakes?"

He waved a flour-stained hand in the general direction of a number of familiar white-iced, strawberry-topped cakes sitting on the cooling racks. "I just iced them; you can pack them now. Kiyou can keep the boy busy."

Deciding that it wasn't really essential to mention Yagyuu's presence, I got the cake boxes out and lifted a cake onto one of the silver-foil bases we used before carefully sliding the whole thing into a box. Having repeated the process for all the cakes – there were three of them – I stacked them one on top of the other and slowly made my way out of the kitchen.

Even for such a simple thing as carrying cakes, though, Kami-sama did not spare me another accident. There just _had_ to be a plastic bag on the floor in my path – a plastic bag I had somehow missed on the way in, and that I did not realize was there until I stepped on it. Or should I say, _skidded_ on it.

The door, which I had left slightly ajar, slammed open as my weight hit it (it was a door that opened outwards, not inwards). Everyone in the shop beyond looked around at the noise – and of course, the one directly in front of the door was Marui Bunta. Kami-sama had obviously joined in the matchmaking with Kiyou, which was _not_ a good thing for me.

For the second time this week, I landed with my own face less than three inches away from his. Much less.

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"Kitari and Marui, sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" sang Kiyou, in a criminally good mood after that particular… incident.

I glared daggers at him. "I did _not_."

"Well, if it wasn't a kiss, then what _was_ it? I don't know… making out? Too short, though," mused my brother with mock seriousness. "A peck? Then again, a peck also means a kiss…"

Groaning, I dropped my head onto the table in front of me.

(Flashback)

No way. _No way_. I had _not_ just kissed Marui Bunta. I had _not_!! He had _not_ just taken away my first _ever_ kiss!!

Cursing him under my breath to hell and back, I got off him (What the hell, I seemed to have been in some sort of close physical contact with him almost every day this week!) and dusted myself off, trying to hold on to whatever shreds of dignity I might still have left to me.

Kiyou was crying with laughter. Literally. I could see the tears on his cheeks. He was _so_ going to die once I got my hands on him later! Even Yagyuu the _gentleman_ looked to be holding back laughter; his lips were twitching a little.

Marui, though, looked as shocked as I felt. "What the _hell_," was all he said, violet eyes wide; they seemed to hold the same disgust that was on _my_ face.

Yagyuu glanced around at the cake boxes strewn all over the place. "I hope the cakes survived," he said, with more than a touch of cynicism.

(End Flashback)

That idiotic brother of mine was still grinning widely. "Never believed me, did you? Well, perhaps now you _will_ start to get more of a life –"

"I don't _need_ more of a life than I already have; in fact, if anyone finds out about this, I'll be dead by tomorrow afternoon," I moaned. "His fangirls, remember?"

"Don't worry, Kitari. I don't think he's the type to spread it around; neither is Yagyuu-kun. Plus, it's not like you're the most wanted girl in the school or anything." He propped his head in his hands, watching amusedly as I cleaned up the mess on the floor – the cakes _hadn't_ survived, after all. Marui had said he'd come by another day to collect them.

"That is _not_ the point!" I protested. "The point is I have completely lost face. Can you imagine kissing – albeit accidentally – the guy you _slapped_ in public in the same week?!"

"A-hah! You admit that you kissed him!" Kiyou shouted triumphantly. "I told you so!"

My father, hearing the commotion, came out of the kitchen, still stained with flour. "What's all the noise about?" Did I ever mention that my dad can be _very_ nosy when he wants to?

"Kitari kissed Marui-kun!" proclaimed my brother. No, not my brother – that traitor! Siblings were supposed to stick together!

"I did _not_!" I repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. "Shut up, Kiyou, or I shall personally castrate you!"

"Now, Kitari, violence is a sign of simplemindedness," he said, straight-faced for only a few seconds before he broke out laughing again. My father joined in too; what had the world come to, when one couldn't even count on one's own family members?!

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**A/N: Very, very, **_**very**_** crappy chapter… I'm like rushing everything because I can't write them properly… T.T**

'**Violence is a sign of simplemindedness' is quoted from Jessica from almost three years ago when we were in P6… I know she's not even reading this, but whatever.**

**Once again, this chapter was complete and absolute crap that doesn't deserve to be uploaded. But I shall anyway and torture you poor readers (are you people even reading my A/Ns?!)…**

**I know I said I was going to write about the Death Note movie, but then decided it was too difficult. Yup, I've turned SO lazy. T.T I didn't feel like writing the movie scene or even a flashback of it…**

**Please review! Even though I kinda expect flames for this chapter… -sob-**


	7. Apologies

Chapter 6: Apologies Chapter 6: Apologies

Yes, I did have moments when I really wished Kiyou didn't tease and torture and generally yank my tail, but every time, before I actually killed him, he would do something that reminded me of _why_ I put up with him in spite of his playboy character. 

Perhaps it was just as well that the next day was a Saturday. Gossip networks were usually only at full capacity and top speed during the school week, and this meant that news of my little _incident_ wasn't going to get out so fast. In any case, as Kiyou had mentioned, neither Marui nor Yagyuu were really the type to gossip.

Whatever the case, I, as always, told Akiko. It wasn't as if it was a romantic tidbit – she knew, or at least I was sure she would, that he was just a pretentious idiot and I'd never think of him otherwise.

Good Kami-sama, I was still pissed at him. _Why_ had I absolutely _had_ to bang into _him_ of all people; not only _bang_ into him, but also – ahem – _accidentally_ brush lips with him?! Fate was truly cruel!!

The first thing Akiko said after listening patiently to my angry tirade over the phone was, "I told you so."

I took a few deep breaths in a vain effort to calm down. "_I do not like him!!_ Drill that into your thick head!! How would _you_ like it if you happened to slip and fall and _kiss_ _Ukita Sano_?!" Ukita Sano was probably the biggest jerk in the level – not only did his face make your eyes burn; he also had an equally ugly attitude. Even his grades weren't anywhere near the best.

"That," she said with great seriousness, "would be probably the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone."

"_Exactly_!! _That_'s how _I _felt when – _it_ happened!!" I exclaimed, tugging at my hair in frustration. "Can you imagine the humiliation?! Yagyuu-kun saw it; _Kiyou_ saw it!! And they were both _laughing_!!"

"How did _Marui_-kun react?" she asked, sounding curious.

"Eh? Marui-kun? I… don't remember…" I racked my brains; nothing came up. I _really_ couldn't remember.

Now her tone had become slightly impatient. "How can you _not remember_? It's as simple as remembering if he kissed you back or not!"

"Wait a second; why are _you_ so curious?" I asked suspiciously. "It's not at all like you."

There was a short pause, then Akiko sighed. "I'm coming over. Talk later." She hung up, and I listened to the hollow beeping for a few seconds, surprised at her abrupt departure.

Kami-sama really hated me. Why did it have to be when I was _alone_ in the shop that the three fangirls came for a little visit? Father had gone to the grocer's; Kiyou apparently had a tryst of some sort; Akiko still hadn't arrived. In other words, I was alone.

"We have heard a rumor," said Reia, leaning in menacingly, "that you forced yourself on Marui-sama."

Aiko looked as pissed as her buchou. "Is it true?" she demanded.

Cursing Kami-sama for the _n_th time that day, I held my head high. "I did not force myself on Marui-kun, Aiko-san. Where did you hear it from?"

Shuuei smiled, and somehow it was even more deadly that the death glares the other two girls were shooting at me. "Why do you deny it, Kitari-chan?" The caress in her voice was enough to make my hackles rise. "And as to _where_ we heard it from, well, let's just say that we have diverse sources…"

"It is the truth, Shuuei-san," I replied, hanging on to my composure.

"You know, Kitari-chan, we'd _really_ like to believe you," began Reia, looking almost sorrowful. "Unfortunately, your past record does not do anything to persuade us."

Mystified, I ventured, "My past record?"

"Don't you remember the little canteen incident?" Aiko reminded, her voice stinging. "When you made Marui-sama dirty his beautiful hands to get rid of a _lizard_ for you?" 

Let a customer come in; perhaps then they'd back off. Better yet, let a _male_ customer come in – what if the newcomer was _also_ a fangirl? My chances of survival would decrease even further, and now it was already in decimals. I pressed a little harder against the counter, feeling it dig into my back. "I… I –"

"We still haven't punished her for that, you know," said Shuuei conversationally. "Thanks for reminding us, Aiko."

"So now she needs quadruple punishment, ne?" asked Aiko, watching me with fiendish glee.

"Quintuple," corrected Reia. "She _violated_ Marui-sama – "

The door chimes tinkled, interrupting her. "Reia?! What on_ earth_ – "

All of us turned to look at the speaker. In the doorway stood a girl, whose features and voice were strongly reminiscent of Reia's – though, if I were to say, this person was more attractive. Her eyes were wide in surprise.

"Ne, Reiko, you're blocking the door," came another, rather amused, _male_ voice. "Even if you're slim, you still fill up quite a bit of space."

The girl immediately moved to one side, laughing rather affectedly. "I'm sorry, Kiyou-kun."

"N-nee-san?!" breathed Reia, looking quite shocked. "What –"

Kiyou, who had just stepped in, glanced first at me, then at the three fangirls. "What happened, Kitari?"

Before I could answer, though, Reiko grabbed her younger sister's arm and dragged her out of the door. The other two followed as well. When Kiyou raised his eyebrows at me, I shrugged to show I had no idea what was going on, and we both sneaked over to the window, where we could hear what was being said relatively well.

" – doing?!"

"She violated our idol, we were about to punish her –"

"Don't you _dare_ do anything of that sort. You'll –"

"But if we don't punish her, she'll continue doing it and we'll lose face! Come on, Nee-san, you know –"

"If you do anything to his sister, Kiyou-kun would definitely have nothing to do with _me_!! _I_'ll lose face –"

"How was _I_ supposed to know that that hot guy you were dating was _her_ brother?! She doesn't look at _all_ like him –"

"That's besides the _point_!! Kiyou-kun is, like, _the_ most wanted guy in our level; even some of the sempais have crushes on him! He could have his pick from any girl in our year, and maybe even some of the guys! The fact that he's dating _me_ is a _huge_ proof of my popularity; if he _dumps_ me then my social status will also drop –"

"But –"

"No buts! In fact, I think you've already gone too far. If I'd known that that girl who you're always complaining about was his _sister_, I'd have put a stop to this _long_ ago! Now get back in and apologize!"

They did apologize, and profusely. Though the falseness was so obvious that a three-year-old kid could have seen it. I tried not to gloat, because who knew, they might still come after me in school. After they'd gone, I turned to Kiyou for an explanation. "Well?"

He grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his already-mussed hair. Abstractedly, I realized that Marui also had this habit in similar situations; maybe that was why it looked so familiar on him – and perhaps even a bit endearing. "You mean Reiko?"

I rolled my eyes. "D'oy."

"See, I _do_ date a lot of girls, and it so happens that she's been with me on and off for quite a while," he explained. "Since the start of this year, anyway."

"Considering that it's _you_, that really _is_ a long time," I commented sarcastically.

He laughed. "Well, yeah. She's _very_ clingy, let me tell you that. I did know that she had a sister the same age as you – heck, I _met_ that Reia before – but I didn't really notice her, you know?"

"Even when I told you who it was who always beat me up?" I raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Reia's a pretty common name!" he defended. "In any case, aren't you in the least grateful that I got rid of her?"

I sighed in defeat. "Yes; now I think I'm more or less safe from her… that is, until you break up with her sister." Glaring at him, I added, "You'd better _not_ break up with her till I'm in high school."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Yes, ma'am. I'll take care of the shop now; you can go back upstairs."

As I did just that, I glanced at the clock in the stairwell. It was almost half an hour since Akiko had said she was coming over, and she still wasn't here – even though the journey from her house to mine usually took less than ten minutes.

Just as I was contemplating calling her and demanding to know the reason for her tardiness, my cell phone rang.

**A/N: Once again, a crappy chapter. I seem to have a very bad habit of doing timeskips… :-X I totally feel like I'm rushing my ass off, somehow…**

**It's great that so many people actually DO read my weird author's notes! XD hello everyone!! (as is obvious, I'm kind of hyper right now…)**

**I love Kiyou. He's really a great help in my fic's mission to torture Kitari. LOL.**

**Sorry for the cliffie… REVIEW PLEASE!!**

**PS. "D'oy" is actually sfetz's word/phrase. It's like a less bimbotic way of saying "D'uh". I know she's not even reading this, but yeah, I promised to credit her if I ever used it… O.o**


	8. Crush

Chapter 7: AccidentChapter 7: Crush

(Recap)

Just as I was contemplating calling her and demanding to know the reason for her tardiness, my cell phone rang.

(End Recap)

Irritated, I flipped it open and answered the call. I _did_ check the caller ID first – an unknown number. "Whoever you are, you have ten seconds to prove that you aren't a stalker," I informed the person.

The voice was familiar, but not in a good way. "Kitari-chan, don't be like that…"

Marui. I should have known. "Why on earth are you calling me? And why the _hell_ do you have my number?!"

"Thank your friend… I believe her name was Akiko-chan? You know, I'd pass the phone to her so that you can do so, if not for the sad fact that she's presently _unconscious_," he replied airily.

"_Unconscious_?!" I repeated, my eyes widening. "What –"

"Akaya ran into her on his bike," came the sardonic reply. "How exactly he managed to hit her so hard that Niou and Yagyuu are now trying to get her down from atop a _tree_ is –"

"Enough," I interrupted. "Where is she?"

"Up a tree, as I said – no, they've gotten her down already. So she's on the grass –"

"Shut up!" I yelled, cutting off the line and slamming my phone shut as I flew down the stairs. That bastard was _still_ trying to rile me up, even in such a situation!

"I'll be back soon," I shouted over my shoulder to my surprised brother as I sped out of the door.

Barely catching the tail end of his "See ya", I hurried down the road. Akiko could only be somewhere between her house and mine – yes, I could already see the scene not too far off.

Kirihara, that jerk, was apparently checking his bike for signs of damage from the collision. Niou was – the horror! – _smoking_ something that I really didn't want to know about, and Marui was lounging on the ground and toying with his phone while popping his bubblegum. Yagyuu was with them too, attending to Akiko like the gentleman he was.

"Ah, the great Kitari-sama has arrived," commented the redhead. "Good girl."

"I am _not_ a dog," I retorted, kneeling down beside my friend. "Akiko, wake up."

Yagyuu moved away to give me room, and I addressed him. "Yagyuu-san, is it true that Kirihara-kun hit her so hard that she went up the tree?"

He probably blinked, though I couldn't really see through the reflection of the light on his glasses. "Did Marui-kun say that? And Niou-kun, how many times have I told you not to smoke?"

Niou snorted, producing an extra puff of pungent smoke. "At least a million times, and still counting. It's gonna _keep_ on counting, since I'm not gonna be stopping any time soon."

"Yes, Marui-kun _did_ say that," I told the gentleman. "It's not true, right? Thought so."

"It did get a better – faster, that is – reaction from you," replied Marui, grinning. "If I'd just said that she banged her head on the tree instead of going _up_ it, you wouldn't have been so anxious, now would you?"

I sniffed. "Unconscious is unconscious; I _would_ have been as anxious. And all the culprit does is check his bike for scratches?!"

Kirihara didn't even turn his head. "Hey, it's _new_. Just got it last week. And it cost twenty thousand yen, too."

"That much for a _bike_?!" I exclaimed. It was something like half of what my dad earned in a month… and all for just _one_ flashy mountain bike. The world was _so_ unfair.

"By the way, Kitari-chan," began Marui lazily, "I got your number from Yanagi. You asked how I got it, remember?"

"How does _he_ have my number?" I demanded.

He shrugged. "Knowing him, he probably hacked into the government registration. It's _Yanagi_, after all."

Akiko shifted slightly, her eyes flickering. "Mmmf… what…huh?"

I pounced on her movement. "Akiko? You're awake!"

She tried to sit up and clutched at her head. "Ouch… what happened?"

"Kirihara-kun whacked you into that tree." Indicating the tree under in whose shade we were all resting, I helped her up.

"So it _wasn't_ a dream. That demon really did appear," she muttered, still massaging her temples. I could already see a bruise forming.

"You're going to have one colorful forehead by next week," commented Niou, with a devil's grin.

As usual, Yagyuu didn't comment. "Where were you going before this accident, Juuin-chan?"

Akiko winced at the use of her surname. "Please, it's Akiko. My surname's a curse. And I was going to Kitari's place."

Marui smiled brightly. "Well, so were we. Let's go, then!"

"I did _not_ count on _them_ being here," muttered Akiko as we headed up the stairs, leaving Kiyou to attend to the boys.

I looked at her oddly. "Is it such a problem?"

"Not… exactly…" She looked rather unsure of herself, which was definitely not normal.

Akiko was smart enough to get straight A's without excessive mugging, unlike me. Not only that, she was quite a bit more attractive than I was – not that I was attractive at _all_. Ruler-straight green-black hair, gold eyes, Asian facial features and an overall healthy appearance that contrasted almost violently with my own painfully thin limbs and pale looks.

Sometimes I wondered exactly _why_ she chose to hang out with me, and thus decrease her own standing in the school's social hierarchy, instead of with the popular crowd. Then I remembered the disdain with which she regarded that very system and the confidence in herself that required nobody's judgment.

Which just made this hesitance all the more strange. "Akiko…?" I ventured. "You wanted to tell me something, didn't you?"

She opened her mouth, as if to say something, then closed it again, apparently deciding against it. "No. I didn't."

"You did," I said immediately. No way was she going to get out of this; I wanted to get to the bottom of the matter! "You hung up on me when I asked why you wanted to know how Marui'd reacted to the _incident_ –" it was _not_ a kiss! " – and said to talk when you got here. So, you're here now; I'm _waiting_…"

Our eyes locked for a few seconds; mine challenging, hers something between anger and… was that _fear_?! No, it couldn't be. This was _Akiko_. She wasn't scared of _anything_. Well, except for lizards…

Akiko broke the staring match first. Collapsing onto my bed, she remarked, "Kitari, you don't seem to be affected at _all_ by those boys. Even though so many people think they're hot."

I raised my eyebrows. "Since when did _you_ take an interest in them? I thought you're the one who's constantly preaching about how we're only fifteen-year-old middle-school students who ought to be focusing on studying and not boyfriends?"

"I never said I did; I was simply stating a fact. You aren't affected by them, right?" she asked, still addressing my ceiling.

"_No_, I am most certainly _not_. They are jerks. Plain and simple," I said flatly. "All guys are. Even Kiyou, when he wants to be one."

She rolled over onto her stomach so that she could face me. I noted the wry smile on her face. "I wish I were as level-headed. Teen hormones are irritating in the extreme."

I blinked. 'Akiko' and 'teen hormones' just did _not_ go together. The very thought gave me the shivers. "Who are you and what have you done with Juun Akiko?!"

"No, Kitari; I'm serious. I can't help but wonder why you have such an extremely averse reaction to kissing –"

"It was _not_ a kiss!" I insisted at once.

" – the third most wanted guy in the level. That is, judging from the size of the fan clubs," she explained. "Yukimura-san and Niou-kun are tied at the first place; their fangirl populations fluctuate every month, or so it seems, so who is first and who is second depends on when you check. Marui-kun comes in at a close third, with Sanada-san and Yagyuu-san –"

"Have you been researching on them or something?" I demanded suspiciously. "You have _way_ too much information on this."

"What I'm saying, Kitari," she said patiently, "is that most other girls in your position would be thoroughly enjoying it."

"Nobody else has had to get beaten up at least twice a week by a guy's fangirls," I said darkly. "_That_'s why they'd like him."

Hang on a second. Why the _hell_ were we discussing such a… _wrong_ subject?!

After she – and the boys – had left, I analyzed our conversation and concluded that Akiko had a crush on one of the tennis regulars. Though _which_ one remained to be seen.

Oh, this was _interesting_. It would be _wonderful_ to be able to tease _her_ instead of getting teased _by_ her this time. Firstly, though, I had to find out _who_ was the unfortunate object of her affections.

**A/N: Ughhh, my writing is deproving. Someone said it's no longer as action-packed as the first few chapters, nor as funny… T.T I'm doing my best already xiaa! >.**

**This chapter was **_**supposed**_** to give a sort of insight on Akiko, because even I didn't know much about her. She's quite a major character, considering. :-X Anyone who guessed that there'd be some sort of fight, well, is this a fight? It is, right? Sort of? O.o**

**I was supposed to be updating 'Who Am I', not this ficcy!! It's stealing all my inspiration! Sighz…**

**There's actually something planned for this ficcy and it shall appear!! Really, it shall!! (a plot-thingy, y' know…) okay, I'm not making sense. Darghone it.**

**PS. If anyone thinks Marui is supposed to be bouncy and hyper, well, let me just say that if he gets high on sugar, he'd be on a **_**constant**_** high. I don't think Sanada would like that, ne? He's a bit arrogant here because of the way he acts in episode 119. TENSAI!!**

**Review, all of you wonderful reviewers!! Readers who **_**don't**_** review, kindly review as well!! It's a good habit!! XD**


	9. Task

Chapter 8: TaskChapter 8: Task

I stared at the paper in abject horror. Slowly, painfully, I shifted my gaze to my partner, unable to say a word in my sheer dismay.

Akiko shrugged. "It's not my fault."

With trembling fingers, I pinched the paper between my thumb and forefinger. The ripping sound that it made was music to my ears.

I had _not_ just gotten Marui and Niou as the other two members of our group. Nobody knew, anyway – and nobody would know, since the paper with the fateful number was now in shreds on my skirt.

(Flashback)

It was Monday, the day when most administrative work was done. Our form teacher, Yamamoto-sensei, quickly quieted the class at the beginning of her lesson and produced several sheets of official-looking paper. All of us settled in for at least fifteen minutes of admin stuff with no real lesson – not that we minded, seeing as English wasn't exactly our favorite subject.

"Now, class, I mentioned that we would have a day trip to Tokyo organized by the student council about a month ago – remember?" she began. "Well, it's going to be held this Friday, and there are some important things that I need to brief you about. The first time I talked about it, you all decided on partners for the trip, but after much discussion with the other teachers and the student council themselves, we have decided it would be best to go in groups of four – in other words, two pairs will form one group," she explained.

"As if we don't know what two plus two is," Akiko muttered out of the side of her mouth to me.

Shrugging, I replied, "Yamamoto-sensei isn't the math teacher; she's the English teacher. It's likely a great achievement for her to be able to understand that equation."

"Since having four girls together without any boys or four boys without any girls would be dangerous, we decided to have two girls and two boys per group. Also, as this way certain pairs would be in much greater demand than others – " here she gave a pointed glance towards a pair of Marui's fangirls, as well as another pair of Niou's fangirls, all of whom were gazing starry-eyed at Marui and Niou – who had, incidentally, paired up together – "it was thought that the best method of resolving this problem was to make the entire class draw lots."

This immediately resulted in a huge uproar, and naturally, the fangirls were the loudest protestors. Normal people, like Akiko and I, covered our ears in an attempt to preserve our hearing. Yamamoto-sensei, on the other hand, was probably already used to the volume and shrillness of the screams of her class, and managed to ignore them easily.

"Please send one member of your pair to come up and draw a number," she said, indicating two cardboard boxes with smallish holes on top, just big enough for someone to put a hand in. "The person who has the same number as you, as well as their partner, will be the other half your group for the trip."

I looked at Akiko. "You'd better go. What with the luck I've been having…"

She nodded in assent and stood up, making her way to the front of the classroom with about half of the other students and joining the line that was already forming.

Yamamoto-sensei shook her head at the behavior of her class. "Goodness, children, weren't you paying attention? I said that the groups would comprise of two boys and two girls, didn't I? If you all try to draw from the same box, that would defeat the purpose. Two lines, please, boys here and girls here."

I watched Akiko closely. Was she eyeing Jackal? Wait a minute… that was a _terrible_ pairing. I shuddered at the very thought that my best friend might have fallen for the half-Brazilian – not that I was being racist, but that I did think Akiko would have better taste… then again, I really wasn't one to talk, having no taste whatsoever.

"Oiii…. Who got a four?" called a familiar, drawling voice – Niou. "Marui, we got four…"

Marui laughed at his partner. "I hope it isn't bad luck. I heard that four is an unlucky number."

Both Marui's and Niou's fangirls began to pray, extremely loudly, that they'd get the four. Why were they praying so loudly? Because they had to drown out the prayers of the _other_ fangirls. Which, in effect, meant that they got louder and louder every second… the boys were laughing at the two culprits; Jackal was giving them a look of mixed awe and pity. Popularity was a mixed blessing – that was for sure.

When Akiko came back, her face was completely expressionless. Although this wasn't unusual, I still got a sense of foreboding. She pressed the small piece of paper into my hand.

Trying to quell my apprehension, I unfolded it – and a big, black '_**4**_' stared back at me.

Kami-sama hated me. Really.

(End Flashback)

"We did _not_ get four," I whispered fiercely to my friend. "We did _not_."

"They'll find out," she said mercilessly. "If I were you, I'd have tried to trade with one of their fangirls instead of tearing it up. They'd have jumped for it immediately."

I froze. Cries of utter disappointment from the fangirls echoed in our momentary silence. How _stupid_ could I be?!

Sitting down at her desk again, she propped her face on her hands. "Sad, though. That was a good opportunity…"

"A good opportunity…?" I probed, curious. When she didn't appear to have heard, I repeated, this time louder, "A good opportunity for what?"

"Hmm…oh, to get their money. Their fangirls would've paid through their noses to get to group with them," she explained. Was it just me, or had she hesitated before answering…?

"Everyone, find your other group members once you have gotten your numbers," called Yamamoto-sensei. "Report to me after that so that I can record your groups."

Akiko glanced at me. "So… what do we do now?"

"Keep our mouths shut and hope that the fangirls will pretend to have gotten the four and take our places?" I suggested, though I already knew that that plan wouldn't have a chance in hell.

Her eyebrows rose slightly, and her mouth curled in a wry smile. "That's never going to work – no, it might, but it's a _very_ slim chance. No, it _won't_ work. Look." She indicated the two boys.

Their tables were swarmed with fangirls, all saying that they'd gotten the four. Niou cracked one eyelid at the chaos and sighed. "Show the paper, girl. We're honest folk – or at least we usually are."

"_Kyaah!! Niou-sama!!_" the fangirls… well, fangirled.

Yamamoto-sensei suddenly descended upon the crowd. "Don't even try to make a fake paper," she warned – and most of them fell back, eyes welling with tears. "No tears, either – they're not going to work on me," she added, somehow managing to look dangerous for once.

I groaned. "Damn you, Yamamoto-sensei. Damn you too, Kami-sama." Four was, indeed, an unlucky number.

--

The feeling of fangirls' angry stares digging into my back was not helping my bad mood. That (bleep) _still_ had the nerve to grin like that, when he knew full well that I did _not_ approve of this grouping _at all_. Bastard. I glared daggers at him. He popped his bubblegum right back and gave me the trademark grin that embodied his cockiness to perfection.

Niou, who had been watching with some interest, yawned widely. "Na, Marui, Mura-buchou said he was in charge of this one, didn't he?"

"Yukimura-san's in charge?" repeated Akiko, looking interested. Immediately, I added Yukimura to my list of suspects.

Marui nodded. "Yeah, Mura-buchou's vice-chair of the student council; he didn't want to be the chair because it'd cut into his tennis time. Niou, are you sure he's the one in charge of this?" He sounded faintly worried.

The Petenshi shrugged. "Can't remember… just a feeling I got, I suppose. Especially when I look at our task. It's _so_ Mura that either he's the one in charge or it's Yanagi. You _know_ he and Mura-buchou like to discuss student council cheemonology when they don't talk tennis."

"…Our task?" repeated the redhead, grabbing the piece of paper. His eyes skimmed over it, and he raised them to meet Niou's in an almost frightened look.

Naturally, I became curious too. "What _is_ our task, anyway? Aren't we just going on some random field trip to –"

"No, we aren't _just_ going on some 'random field trip' to Tokyo," interrupted Niou, making air quotes. "When Mura-buchou's got a finger in the pie, things aren't that simple. And this isn't just a _finger_; it's more like his whole hand is in there."

Akiko took the paper from Marui and read through. I saw her eyebrows rise until they vanished into her hairline, and my sense of foreboding shot sky-high. "Akiko, give it here."

Wordlessly, she passed it over. I began reading.

_Senior-Year's Day Trip to Tokyo: Timeline, Required Materials and Task Sheet_

_Timeline:_

_0800: Assemble in middle-school courtyard according to classes; teachers will take attendance._

_0830: Leave for Tokyo in chartered buses. Stay in your classes for the journey; you will separate into your groups upon alighting._

_1000: Arrive in Tokyo, Shinjuku. Separate into your groups for task._

_1400: Complete task and return to Tokyo, Shinjuku. Those who return earlier will have free time to be spent as they like. Between 1000 and 1400, please have your lunch._

_1430: Leave Tokyo, Shinjuku and head back to school._

_1600: Arrive in school. Dismissed upon arrival._

_Note: All projected times may be subject to change due to weather conditions and/or other delays e.g. failure to complete task within given time. Also, lunch is __not__ provided. Please buy your own lunch or bring a bento._

_Task:_

_You are to go to four different areas of Tokyo, e.g. Shinjuku, Aoyama, Nakano and Adachi, and find a certain type of shop per area – see below. Upon reaching the respective train station in each area, head for the ticket station and wait there. The student council member in charge of that area will message you the task to be carried out in that place._

_Train-travel is strongly recommended as taxis are exceedingly expensive and buses are inefficient. Be warned that human traffic, especially during the lunch hour, will be hectic. Do __not__ under any circumstances leave your group alone. Always make sure that you have your partner or another group member with you if you need to leave the group._

_IMPORTANT: This activity requires at least a mediocre skill level with video taking and editing. The marked results will be the final Computer Skills grade for this year. Remember, there will be no other projects that may help to pull up your marks, and Computer Skills is a highly regarded subject in high school. Also, this project will also have a relatively large impact on your marks in Art._

_Please submit via email or the school website sharing folders to the Student Council by Monday._

_Recommended areas and shops (choose four): Shinjuku (bars), Harajuku (clothes, preferably gothic Lolita), Aoyama (rugby), Ginza (high-end branded goods), Adachi (food – bunka fry), Nakano (otaku), Nerima (anime/manga), Akihabara (electronics), Asakusa/Asakusabashi (traditional Japanese dolls)_

_Required Materials:_

_Video Camera_

_Money_

_Umbrella or Raincoat (weather forecast states that there may be rain in Tokyo)_

_Medications for those who need them_

_Anything else you may consider essential. However, be reminded that you will have to move a lot, so carrying too many things will be detrimental._

_Organized by the Student Council of Rikkaidai Fuzoku Chuu_

I blinked. And blinked again. "A _bar_ for Shinjuku?!"

"Apparently even the student council doesn't mind the fact that we happen to be underage," observed Akiko.

Marui was chewing on his lip in ill-concealed anxiety. "Freak it, those _have_ to be my two _worst_ subjects," he muttered, clutching at his hair in frustration. It seemed that he'd forgotten all about his bubblegum.

Niou grinned. "If I remember correctly, your last art piece was graded 'unmarked'…"

"Shut up!"

"Well, it just means you'll have to work extra hard on this one, ne?" commented the Trickster with a glint in his eyes that did not inspire any confidence.

--

**A/N: Hum… sort of a filler chapter, I suppose… which is probably why it's so long. This was essential to provide all the info we're gonna need for the later chapters. :-X**

**Credits to Shu-chan for the idea – and no, she isn't Shu Kitari. Does anyone even remember that Kitari's surname is Shu? XD**

**This day trip to Tokyo thing will take quite a few chapters. I'm estimating around four or five. Hopefully nobody gets bored with me and drops the story… I'll be trying my best to make it amusing, ne?**

**If you don't like the way I start somewhere in the middle of the story and then do a flashback, please tell me. I seem to be doing a **_**lot**_** of my chapters like that. O.o**

**PS. Four **_**is**_** actually considered an unlucky number by the Chinese. It is pronounced the same as 'die' when spoken in Cantonese, a Chinese dialect… lolz**

**PPS. Does anyone know where exactly Rikkaidai is? I know it's in the Kantou region, but that doesn't really say much. It could be in Chiba, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, or Kanagawa… O.O that's a lotta places, man. And this is only the prefectures, not even the cities… T.T**


	10. Cosplay

Chapter 9: HarajukuChapter 9: Cosplay

Listening with half an ear to Niou and Akiko's plans for the day, I continued my one-sided staring match with Marui – who was, irritatingly, ignoring me and staring out of the window of the bus while popping his bubblegum at regular intervals. It turned out that I – no, we – should have paid more attention to our group members.

"So, we shall be going to Ginza. Harajuku, Shinjuku and Nakano," announced Akiko after some heated debate with Niou. "Niou's chosen Shinjuku; I want Harajuku – so you and Marui-kun can decide on who gets the other two – "

"Ginza," I said immediately. It was the safer option, seeing as Nakano was apparently associated with otaku.

"… what's this about?" asked Marui, looking puzzled.

I laughed, rather too loudly since I was cheering inwardly. "Hah! You're stuck with Nakano!"

"But – wait! I had no say in this matter!" protested the redhead.

Niou smirked. "Too bad. You get to experience the otaku culture of Tokyo…"

"Thanks, Akiko," I muttered out of the side of my mouth; she was sitting beside me.

She blinked. "You have nothing to thank me for."

"Yes I do! My nemesis shall be embarrassed!" I reminded her.

"I see…" Her gaze flicked back to the two boys, and she looked vaguely thoughtful.

Suddenly I remembered the preoccupied look on Marui's face. Perhaps the tensai wasn't such a tensai after all, if he couldn't do well in Computer Studies – Art couldn't be counted, since you either had it or you didn't. Interesting…

--

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Tokyo's trains didn't seem too bad, it being a weekday and during office hours – which meant that neither school-going kids nor working adults were around as yet. Lunch hour was still three hours away, thankfully, so the lunch rush wasn't going to appear anytime soon. Just as well, too – the lot of us trip-goers pretty much jammed the train up, even without the local population.

We'd taken the Yamanote Line (with almost everybody else) and, since it seemed that everyone was heading to Shinjuku first, decided to get off a stop earlier at Harajuku. Niou pretended to stretch in freedom after alighting. "Ah… the space, I revel in it…"

Marui whacked him. "Don't horse around. My grades – actually, all of our grades – are on the line here."

The silver-haired boy grinned, unperturbed. "Well, yours are the ones that are the worst and need the most boosting."

Ignoring them, Akiko headed for the ticket booth. I followed her, allowing a smile to curve my lips – it really was fun seeing the self-proclaimed tensai worrying over his grades. The boys, still bickering, trailed behind.

Barely had we waited a minute when Akiko's cell phone beeped, signaling the arrival of a message - we'd submitted her number with our list of group members under mutual consent as she was by far the trustworthiest among us four. She flipped it open and frowned. "It's our first task…"

"Well, what is it?" inquired the redhead.

"_Find a cosplay group and have one or more member(s) of your group join them_," read my friend. "_Other member(s) will record the process with the group's video camera. The video clip must be at least 3 minutes long. Be reminded that creativity will be taken into account along with videoing skills._"

We all exchanged glances. "… Are you sure that's from the student council?!"

"Obviously, though I do doubt their sanity," replied Akiko. "I'm supposed to do Harajuku… so I assume I'll be the one to join these cosplayers?"

I nodded. "Good luck, man. You'll need it." I couldn't believe I was going to see Akiko cosplaying! This was just… way out there…

--

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It being a weekday and all, none of us thought that there would be cosplay groups around. But if the student council said to find one, there ought to be at least one… key word, _ought_.

We'd already trekked what seemed like the whole of Harajuku with nothing to show for it. The streets and shops were as close to empty as they could get without actually _being_ empty. What with the severe lack of people, cosplayers were just about nonexistent. To say the least, we were close to desperate.

"Found!" exclaimed Akiko quietly. She slipped around the corner, and naturally we all went after her.

I stared. We were desperate, but even then, tennis players weren't cosplayers. The only similarity was the word 'players'. "Eto… Akiko, they're not cosplayers."

Marui blinked and blew his first bubblegum since we left the train station. "Niou, isn't that…?"

"As is obvious from their uniforms," said Niou. Sauntering towards our subject of interest, he called, "Oii! Seigaku and Hyotei, turn those nice asses of yours around!"

Scandalized, I began, "Niou-kun, that's – "

"Hush," interrupted Akiko. "We need them, Kitari. Who has the camera again?"

"Me," answered Marui. "Here; take it." He shoved it into my hands and sped after his trickster friend.

"That idiot," I grumbled, following with Akiko at a more dignified pace.

"Get your butts here, slowpokes!" shouted Niou.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

--

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"So, let me get this straight," said Oishi – we'd all been introduced. "You want us to act like cosplayers –"

"No, _I_ shall act as if you're cosplayers," corrected Akiko. "I can dress up as a tennis player, easy."

"Actually," a Hyotei member – Oshitari, if I remembered correctly – intervened, "it would be more interesting if we went with the former option."

"… in other words, you think we should act as cosplayers?"

"Well, why not? There're plenty of shops with the required materials right in front of our noses."

Personally, I wondered who in their right minds would decide to build street tennis courts in Harajuku.

A hyper redhead – Kikumaru, I believe – laughed. "Nya, I wouldn't mind!"

"Saa, neither would I," added the perpetually smiling Seigaku member called Fuji. "It sounds fun. Oshitari?"

"I'm game," replied the blunette. "Gakuto'd love to join, too."

The _other_ redhead – really, there were too many redheads to keep track of – folded his arms over his chest and scowled. "Why in the wonks would I want to _cosplay_ just to help some random Rikkai people?!"

"Because I said so," said Oshitari, giving Gakuto a _look_.

I didn't really catch what it meant, since I hadn't been in its path, but whatever it was, it had a strong effect on the girly-looking boy. He sighed. "Fine, I'll help."

"B-but Fuji, Eiji, this won't be good for our reputation!" protested Oishi. "Or Hyotei's, for that matter!"

"We'll be fine," said Fuji reassuringly. '"Just don't mention anything to Tezuka, because then our legs will be in dire straits."

I poked Marui. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He popped his bubblegum. "Tezuka-san is infamous for giving out laps. Out of all of the buchous, he gives the most. Mura-buchou comes in on a close second, and Hyotei's Atobe is third."

"Ah…" I sweatdropped. I _knew_ tennis players were from another planet!

--

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I started filming the moment Akiko and the boys who had volunteered stepped out of the shop. Being as Harajuku was famous for gothic Lolita cosplay, it had been relatively simple to locate a shop that satisfied our requirements. Niou lured the shop girl away with practiced ease; Akiko, Fuji, Kikumaru, Oshitari and Gakuto swept through the store like a whirlwind and came out in outfits that made my mouth hang open like a flytrap.

Fuji and Gakuto were in female outfits. Judging from the serene smile on the former and the black look on the latter, Fuji had chosen it himself and Gakuto had been forced into it. I had to admit both of them looked the part. Obviously, Akiko was also dressed in a similar manner.

The all-black outfit was rather slutty, but that _was_ a given. The dress, made up of a flared knee-length skirt with multiple petticoats and a tiny camisole bodice with plenty of lace, was paired with net stockings and shiny boots. Silver chains were wrapped around their hips as belts and dripped from their necks and wrists as jewelry. Black eyeshadow made their eyes seem huge; extra-pale concealer only served to emphasize them and the dark purplish lipstick covered with gloss for extra shine. It seemed that the two boys had added black wigs to complete the look.

As for Kikumaru and Oshitari, their outfits were a more normal gothic style so that they could wear them as males. Ripped, tight jeans and T-shirt – black, of course – were adorned with silver chain necklaces and giant buckles on their belts. The paler skin suggested the use of the same concealer as the 'females', while eyes that appeared darker were obviously the result of eyeliner. They, too, had made good use of the array of black wigs available in the store.

The result was, to say the least, a group of very convincing gothic cosplayers. I ticked off Harajuku on my mental checklist – Mission Harajuku: Accomplished.

Next to me, Marui popped his bubblegum and grinned. "Man, is Niou missing out. This is stellar blackmail material."

--

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**A/N: Agh, I didn't know how to end off the chapter… I hope I'm still managing to live up to your expectations, nya… :-X it's difficult y' know…**

**Somehow I don't think I got the gothic Lolita look down properly... –sobz– Excuse that and tell me what I got wrong please!**

**Dirty Pair hints!! XD I love Dirty Pair!! There may be other shounenai pairings, but they definitely won't be the main pair – this is an OC fic for a reason! Strangely I seem to have a strong need to insert shounenai into het pair fics. PoT got me converted to yaoi in a BIG way – when I went to the La Corda and Fruits Basket fandoms I was complaining about the lack of good shounenai O.o**

**Were there too many timeskips here? I tried to get things done and cut out the unimportant/draggy/redundant parts, but that resulted in lots of timeskips… T.T it was also part filler and part event, so yeah…**

**OOCness and crappiness have taken over me!! –bawls– Help!!**

**PS. If my linebreaks still aren't showing up, let me know, ne? Sankyu in advance! XD**

**Review please!!**

**(Side note: Check out my new ficcy 'Parental Issues'!! It's about OT6 from their adopted kid's POV!! Okay, I know I'm begging… but yeah. If you haven't seen it yet, go and… well, see it!!)**


	11. Daring

Chapter 10: DaringChapter 10: Daring

Once our fake cosplayers had changed back into their original outfits, we beat a quick retreat from the area – Niou had agreed to meet us at the station. After seeing Seigaku and Hyotei off, we headed there and waited for him.

Marui seemed to be in a good mood, blowing bubbles of increasing size as he lounged in the chair. "That was good, Akiko-chan. You're more daring that you look."

"Why thank you, Marui-kun," she replied with a small smile. "I do try."

"I wonder how Niou-kun managed to keep the shop girl away for so long," I mused aloud.

Both Marui and Akiko gave me a strange look. "Kitari(-chan), you really don't want to know."

I sweatdropped. "Right…"

As if he knew we were talking about him, Niou came sauntering onto the train platform. "Yo. Where's the video? I want to see what happened; it must have been some wonderful blackmail material."

The redhead laughed. "Oh, it was. Fuji and this girly-looking guy from Hyotei dressed in the girls' outfits and…."

--

Our people still filled the train, but there were definitely enough seats, and we got to Shinjuku in relative comfort. Again, we went to the ticket booth to await our next orders, this time in the company of other groups and not just us.

Instinctively we all stuck to our own groups and kept a little distance apart – well, all except for the fangirls, who went starry-eyed and forgot all about the project in favor of chasing Marui and Niou. The fortunate – or rather, unfortunate – boys had to take cover in the male toilets, leaving instructions for us in message them when we'd received the task and left the building.

After the last task we'd had in Harajuku, I braced myself when I heard Akiko's cell phone beep with a message. It was as if history was repeating itself – just as before, Akiko skimmed the message before frowning slightly. "It's our next task."

"And…?" I prompted. I might as well hear it.

"_Find a public bar and have the member(s) assigned to Shinjuku do the most outrageous thing they can think of (in the bar)_," she read. "_Other group member(s) must record this with the group's video camera. The video must be at least 3 minutes long. Marks will be awarded for creativity and the degree of outrageousness, creativity as well as videoing skills."_

Silence hung heavy between us for a few seconds. Then I shook my head. "I seriously doubt the purity of the intentions of our student council."

"As do I," agreed Akiko. "Let's call the boys out, shall we?"

--

"The most outrageous, you say…" Niou hummed under his breath as he pondered over it.

Akiko, who hadn't said anything for a while – I'd been the one to relay the task to the boys – suddenly spoke up. "Do a striptease."

"_Akiko_!" I exclaimed.

"Well, they _did _ask for the most outrageous," she pointed out.

Marui popped his bubblegum. "The more outrageous, the more points, ne? I don't mind."

I ground my teeth. "You're a _guy_, Marui-kun. Of course you wouldn't mind. But I like to think of myself as innocent, so I don't plan on getting my mind permanently scarred anytime soon."

He laughed. "Innocent? With Kiyou-sempai as your brother? I don't think so…"

"Niou-kun, don't _you_ mind?!" I appealed. "The student council will be watching the video!"

The Petenshi shrugged. "Yeah, well, Yagyuu's there. But since I'm a nice, kind and considerate person – " here Marui snorted loudly " – I'll try not to scar you. Would pole or bar-top dancing be good enough?"

I made a face. "Well…"

"Yes? Okay, it's settled. I'll see what equipment they have."

"Wait! Who said I agreed?!"

"You didn't_ dis_agree, so we assumed you _did_ agree."

"&#&!&#!!" (Japanese swear words that the authoress declines to translate)

--

The bouncer stared at Niou. Niou stared back at the bouncer.

"You're underage."

"I'm not."

"_You're underage._"

"Want to try me?"

"…"

"Hey, I meant it."

"… You're _still_ underage. And the bar's not open."

"Yeah well, I'm mentally and physically advanced for my age. In addition, I merely need to borrow your facilities for three minutes maximum."

"…"

"Seriously!"

Marui was snickering somewhere to my right. It seemed that he had already started filming.

Apparently the bouncer didn't want to continue being bombarded with consecutive polysyllabic (more than two syllables long) words, because a few seconds later, the only person we could see outside the bar was the bouncer. We scrambled to a small side window to continue filming what was going on inside the building only to find that it was locked.

Marui cursed under his breath. "Damn. Niou said he'd unlock this one."

"He's probably busy trying to persuade the manager to let him use his poles or bar-top," said Akiko, straight-faced. "But he did leave some lock-picks in the event that he couldn't open it up for us."

"I didn't think that Niou-kun had such a low estimation of his own abilities," I commented.

She set to work on the lock with the oddly shaped metal wires. "It's called thinking ahead, Kitari. Marui-kun, I hope you're getting this – it may count for creativity marks."

Bubblegum popped from behind us. "Filming."

It took three picks before the lock clicked. Akiko pursed her lips. "Tougher than I thought. I estimated only two picks."

"You've done this before?" inquired Marui, sounding puzzled. "I wouldn't have put you for a bad girl, Akiko-chan."

Smiling crookedly, she replied, "You don't know _everything_, Marui-kun." She put away the picks and looked at me. "Kitari, you'll fit in the easiest, I think."

"What the –?! Why me?!" I protested.

"You're the skinniest. Now get in there."

--

My eyes were burning. Oh yes, they were burning – and badly. I wouldn't ever see Niou in the same way again. Nobody would see someone the same way after watching him or her do a particularly skilled and sinuous action like writhing against a pole – in other words, do a pole dance.

Think abstractedly, I told myself. Analyze it with detachment if you really can't _not_ watch – I had to keep an eye on the video, after all.

Those sculpted abdominal and pectoral muscles had to be the result of all those grueling practices in the extremely well-equipped gym reserved for the tennis players. No, he had _not_ stripped down, but he _had_ removed his shirt somewhere along the way – for reasons best left unknown. Man, was he daring.

He was a lot more flexible than I'd thought. The way he _moved_… wait, _not_ thinking that way. He knew how to draw the eye to certain lines by stretching and angling expertly for each held pose, almost like a trained dancer. Yes, that was it. The (female) manager was watching keenly – I really didn't want to think about that, though. Hidden behind the table, I was watching through the camera screen, and he knew exactly where it was – he looked directly at me – it, and whoa he knew how to keep one's attention… _stop!! Not_ thinking that way!!

The routine lasted well over three minutes – but I was sure the student council wouldn't get bored at all.

--

We were back in the train station, getting ready to head for Nakano. Since we'd left the bar (not before Niou had received a job proposal from the manager), Marui had been clamoring to see what it had been like. The window had been in the direct line of vision of the manager, and they hadn't wanted to risk peering in to see.

Akiko grinned. "Did you enjoy the show, Kitari?"

I blushed furiously. "_You_ should've gone in, if you wanted to watch it so badly! I'm scarred for _life_, I tell you!"

"Ah, I'm hurt, Kitari-chan," drawled Niou. "I danced my best, too. It was one of the better routines."

"_What_?!"

"Impress the student council, remember? We get more points that way."

"You don't mind if I watch, do you, Niou?"

"Not at all. Just don't get bubblegum on the camera, Marui."

"As if I would!!"

"Niou-kun, do you mean that you've done this before?!"

"What if I did?"

I groaned and covered my ears. "I don't want to know, Niou-kun. I really don't want to know. It'd be way too much information. Ignorance is bliss, after all."

"I want to know," interjected Akiko.

"No! Don't say _anything_ till I'm out of hearing distance!"

--

**A/N: Ahem. Try not to kill me for putting terrible mental images in your head. Please review! XD**

**I mentioned I love torturing Kitari, didn't I? LOL. Actually, I love to torture all the characters I write about. **

**-bounces- Platinum Pair!! It can be taken as friendship, if you prefer. I'll try to keep the shounenai at a level where it can be taken either way. If you see shounenai, then take it as shounenai; if you see it as friendship, well, take it as friendship. ;)**

**PS. Marui's birthday is supposed to be 19****th**** or 20****th**** April, right? Correct me if I'm wrong… I'll upload on that day (it'll be Marui's chapter; wonderful coincidence eh?) then I'll take a break for all those (bleep)ing history, math and Chinese tests (IN MY BIRTHDAY WEEK NO LESS!! The world is unfair!!) and mid-year science exams the week after that. T.T Kitari's chapter will have to be uploaded in May… till then, I'll have to live without reviews… -bawls-**

**PPS. 'Syllable' is such a nice word. I'm being seriously random. Ignore that, will you? XD And one again, please review!!**


	12. Advertisement

Chapter 11: AdvertisementChapter 11: Advertisement

I blinked. "You know, I seriously doubt the sanity of our student council."

"Mura-buchou's in charge," said Marui morosely. "He _would_ think up something like this."

(Flashback)

"Looks like nobody wants to come to Nakano," observed Akiko as we got off the train.

"Can't blame them. If you'd been assigned to it, you wouldn't want to be here either," muttered the redhead. He hadn't been popping his bubblegum since we'd boarded the train for Nakano.

Niou laughed. "Hey, I had to do pole-dancing. Don't complain. Yours can't be any worse."

Marui brightened. "Point."

Akiko's cell phone beeped, and we all awaited the task.

"_Have the member(s) assigned to this area advertise for a maid/schoolboy café, depending on the gender of the assigned member(s). Other member(s) must video the advertisement for at least 3 minutes using the group's video camera._" She paused. "_Marks will be awarded on convincingness of advertisement as well as videoing skills. Note: The group member(s) advertising must persuade at least one member of the general public (a stranger) to enter the café._"

(End Flashback)

Niou whistled. "Got to convince some random person to enter a schoolboy café, eh? Good luck, man. It might just be worse than ploe-dancing."

"Well, Marui-kun should be able to do it," said Akiko. "He can pull off the schoolboy look without too much difficulty."

"… Thank you, I think…" Marui ran a hand through his hair, churning it roughly. The action betrayed his unnatural lack of confidence almost as obviously as normal facial expressions would have.

I sighed. Think practically, I told myself. "Does anyone even know where a schoolboy café might be?"

My best friend looked slightly uncomfortable. "Actually…"

--

Staring up at the sign over the door, I shook my head. "To think you knew where this sort of place was located."

She smiled crookedly. "It's not what you'd expect of me, ne?"

"Nope," I said flatly. "But don't tell my how you know. As with Niou-kun earlier on, I really don't want to know."

"Ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge is _power_," reminded Niou. "It'd be superb blackmail material and interesting background information."

"Still," I muttered. I'd only known Akiko since our third year in grade school, when she and her family had first moved to Kanagawa from Tokyo. A job posting or something like that. Who knew what her life had been before that…

"I used to live around here, that's all," Akiko informed us coolly. "They'd only just opened when I moved out."

"Ah…"

Marui, who hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation, suddenly frowned. "Hey… Niou, there – near the end of the road – that looks like… what was that school called again… Fudomine?"

The silver-haired boy turned to see what his friend was talking about. "Oh yeah, that's the guy our brat beat up. Tachibana, was it? The one who was staying in the same hospital as Mura-buchou?"

"Yeah, that one," agreed Marui. Suddenly his eyes glinted. "Niou, distract them. I'll get the outfit; be right back!"

"What – Marui-kun?" The redhead has suddenly darted into the shop and vanished with the chinking of door chimes. I shrugged in exasperation. "Fine, ignore me. It's _perfectly_ fine."

A grin spread slowly across the Petenshi's face. "Ah… so that's his plan…"

Akiko nodded. "Distract them, did he say?"

"Will somebody _kindly_ enlighten me?!" I demanded. "I'm in the dark here!"

Niou sighed exaggeratedly. "See that girl over there, in the group of guys wearing those weird black-and-purple uniforms? Well, Marui's targeting her. We're supposed to keep the guys occupied long enough for _him_ to convince her to step into the café and for _you_ to film the whole thing. Where's the camera?"

"Right here," answered Akiko. "Make sure you start filming the moment he steps out of there, Kitari." She glanced at Niou. "Shall we?"

--

Although I expected to hear some raised voices inside the establishment – after all, a complete stranger was demanding a uniform from them for no logical reason ('a school activity' didn't really count as logical) – there weren't any. All I heard was some laughter and teasing voices, both male and female.

Since it wouldn't be very fitting for me to stare in through the windows, I decided to instead focus on the group Niou and Akiko had targeted. I rather pitied them – Akiko could be quite evil when she wanted to be, and Niou had no trouble living up to his nickname of Trickster. Those Fudomine people wouldn't stand a chance.

Niou seemed to be in his full "I'm better than you and you know it" mode, apparently drawling lazily with his eyes half-open, probably taunting them (I was too far away to catch what was said, though I did have a pretty good view). Akiko, on the other hand, appeared to have engaged some of them in civilized conversation. The 'target', the girl, however, suddenly looked up and spotted me. Our eyes met for a brief second before she turned away again.

I frowned. If she'd seen me, she probably knew that something was up. Well, the very presence of Rikkaidai in Tokyo wasn't usual; she'd likely guessed that already. Why was Marui taking so long?

Almost as if he'd heard me, there was a sudden tap on my back. I turned to see a different-but-yet-not-different Marui Bunta. "Do _not_ say anything," he warned.

The normally un-styled red hair had been changed slightly to look stylishly messy, though it probably wouldn't have been obvious unless one saw him on a day-to-day basis. There were subtle hints of makeup – the violet eyes emphasized by dark eyeliner and almost-invisible eyeshadow; the faint tint of blusher on his cheeks were made more obvious by the paler skin tone resulting from high-quality concealer (which had also been applied to the rest of his exposed skin); the way his lips seemed the tiniest bit fuller and shinier was the effect of a thin coat of gloss and touches of lip-liner. Again, none of these would have been obvious unless extremely well-acquainted with him. I had to admit that the makeup artist for this place was good. They'd somehow managed to make him look innocent-but-yet-not-innocent… ugh, I really didn't know how to say it.

He'd traded the Rikkai uniform for the establishment's uniform. It had probably been custom-designed for them, since it managed to emphasize all the best points – even though I didn't really know _how_ they did it. Something about the cut and drape of the cloth made one realize his innate litheness and hinted at the muscular strength that hid under the pale skin. He could really pass for a bishounen; like this, he was probably prettier than Kiyou. Or maybe not. I couldn't judge them impartially, Kiyou being my brother.

Hands waved in front of my nose. "Earth to Kitari-chan?"

I blinked, startled out of the half-trance I had been in debating on whether my brother was prettier than this particular version of Marui. "Wha-"

"You're supposed to be filming, aren't you?" he asked, smiling wryly. "I really don't want to have to go through all that torture they call _styling_ for nothing, you know."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice spoke up from behind us both. "Hey. You're Marui-kun from Rikkaidai, aren't you?"

Marui spun around immediately, steadying himself against the wall. "And you are… An, was it? Tachibana An?"

The brunette grinned. "Yup. Why did you suddenly decide to work for a schoolboy café? In Tokyo, no less?"

--

An heard us out. While Marui was explaining our situation, I peeked around the edge of the building to see how the other half of our group was dealing with Fudomine.

One of them, a redhead, seemed to be quite upset over An's disappearance. A taller boy with short blond hair appeared to be trying to calm him down. Another companion, a fair-skinned blunette, looked to be constantly mumbling to himself while Akiko stood in front of him, nodding at regular intervals with a stoned look on her face.

"So, you just need to look like you're persuading me to get into the café," stated An. "Well, I have a deal for you – I'll act with you and follow you into the café if you get Kamio-kun off my back."

Marui thought for a second. "The redhead, right?"

"Mm, that's Kamio-kun. You see, he really likes me, but I can't really like him back in that way – he's like another brother to me," she explained. "But if he gets angry enough with me, maybe he'll stop crushing on me."

"And thus you need to flirt outrageously with some other guy, preferably one who thrashed him in tennis." He looked like something had finally dawned on him. "That wouldn't be difficult to play along with. Kitari-chan, start filming when An-chan tells you to, okay?"

"Sure." I wondered why he'd asked. It wasn't like I had a choice.

--

I had a feeling that when Marui had said 'flirt outrageously', he hadn't really known what _she_'d understood by that phrase. This completely gave me a new insight on 'flirting outrageously'. And to think that she was a year younger than we were…

After having cringed through several minutes of _extremely_ outrageous flirting between the pair – Marui certainly took his role seriously, pretending to be the clueless schoolboy whose part he was playing at present – I watched with relief as he pulled her through the doors with a hand entwined with hers. Perhaps that was taking it too far… but then, they did have a motive. Barely had I stopped the camera when Akiko, Niou and the people from Fudomine arrived at the scene.

"WHAT DID THAT GUY DO TO AN-CHAN?? HE WAS MOLESTING HER!! WHY DID HE MAKE HER GO INTO THAT (BLEEP)ING PLACE?! THAT (BLEEP) DESERVES –"

"Kamio, hush," the blond said resignedly. "An-chan has her own life."

The redhead did not obey instructions, instead persisting in trying to blast out our eardrums. "BUT THAT GUY WAS FROM RIKKAI!! SHE CAN'T DATE HIM!! AND HE WAS SUCH A GIRLY-LOOKING GUY –"

" – and makes Kamio all mad at her. She was definitely doing that on purpose. Even though she seems not to mind him she really must have had some kind of motive behind this act, such as provoking Kamio so that he'd stop crushing on her. I don't even know why he crushes on her so obviously. Subtlety requires much more effort than bluntness. Maybe that's why Kamio can't…" The blunette continued rambling, seemingly oblivious to the surroundings.

Ah. So _that_ was why Akiko had looked so stoned, listening to this guy.

Kamio broke free of the blond guy's hold and slammed into the café. "YOU!! HOW DARE YOU –"

"I don't need you guys to help me maintain my virtue, though it _is_ a sweet thought. I _can_ take care of myself," commented An.

Akiko sighed. "I'll go get Marui-kun." She walked into the place, closing the door behind her. Unable to withstand our curiosity, we – meaning Niou, the Fudomine guys, and me – followed her within seconds.

We walked in on a scene of chaos. Kamio was still yelling his head off at Marui, who was trying to plow through the crowd of similarly made-up and uniformed guys to find a toilet where he could change and get rid of his makeup. An was attempting to calm Kamio down, while a lady who looked to be in her mid-thirties watched them all, apparently amused.

When she decided that we were making too much noise, she clapped her hands sharply. "Boys! Kindly refrain from teasing Marui-kun and instead focus on waiting on our customers!"

"AN-CHAN!!"

"Shut up, Kamio…"

"BUT-"

--

We left the loudly bickering group behind with not a little relief. "Man, am I glad that's over," sighed Marui, who had by now reverted back to normal. "I wonder if An's managed to convince that Kamio guy to leaver her alone?"

"Saa… It didn't seem to have worked; if anything, he's even more possessive of her," observed Akiko. "You knew them from before?"

Niou, who was trying to balance a pen on his finger while walking (and succeeding, at that), shrugged. "Yeah. We played them some time ago. They were easy meat."

"We seem to keep running into people whom you guys know," I mused. "Why exactly are they out at this time? Isn't it supposed to be term-time?"

"Weren't you paying attention?" sighed my best friend. "We asked them, remember? Seigaku and Hyotei got the day off because they just held an exhibition match this morning. Fudomine's out because their badminton team got first place for something or other, probably the Kantou regional tournament."

I sweatdropped. "Wow. We only get off-days when one of our teams win the National tournaments, or international competitions. Or when the graduating marks are the top in the region."

Bubblegum popped. "Be grateful to us; we are among the top providers of off-days, what with our winning streak."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever…"

--

**A/N: Boohoohoo!! This is my last chapter for this ficcy before the two-week hiatus, which is why it's extra-long… -sighz- and not that great, either T.T**

**I did all the background stuff because I've been wondering why our Tokyo tennis teams are wandering around the place on a Friday during school-time, and also about Akiko's life before she met Kitari in Kanagawa. I'll give her more of a background later; I kind of give her stuff that fits the story, since I really don't have a concrete idea of what she is like yet… :-X**

**Hmm… I think I spent a **_**little**_** too much on Marui's description. XD but it was really fun!! Sadly I didn't know how to describe flirting, since **_**I**_** for one don't exactly flirt, which means I have no idea how to do so, nor how to write about it… yup, inexperienced, but I do like to think of myself as innocent. It's more befitting for my age. LOL. That reminds me, my birthday is in two days on the 22****nd****, so in a way this is not just a birthday chapter for Marui, but also for **_**me**_**!! **

**Happy birthday Marui Bunta (and me too)!! Yay!! Spread the Marui love, folks; 'specially on his birthday!!**

**REVIEW PLEASE!! Make me happy for my birthday before the freaking midyears arrive!!**


	13. Perfume

Chapter 12: PerfumeChapter 12: Perfume

"It's almost time for the lunch crowd," observed Akiko, glancing at the clock in her cell phone as she flipped it open for the task.

Marui popped his bubblegum, in high spirits now that his turn was over. "So what's going to happen this time?"

"_Have the member(s) assigned to this area find one item, either shoes or clothes, that is reminiscent of a jungle, and model them i.e. catwalk. The other member(s) of the group must video the process; the video clip must be at least three minutes long_," read Akiko monotonously. "_Be reminded that the videos will be graded on creativity as well as videoing skills._"

Well, that wasn't _too_ bad, at least not in comparison to what the others had had to go through. In fact, this was practically tame – if the setting was not taken into consideration.

"How the hell am I going to convince some high-end brand that's big enough to set up shop in _Ginza_ to let me model their shoes or clothes?!" I cried.

Niou clapped me on the back. "Take it in your stride, girl; it's all in the mind."

"Yeah right it's all in the mind," I grumbled. "I'd like to see _you_ convince the salespeople to let you model their stuff."

"I probably could, if I put my mind to it," he informed me. "Thing is, it does happen to be _your_ turn now, not mine nor anyone else's. We'll help you look for the things, though, us being the nice, kind and compassionate people that we are."

Akiko glanced at him. "You do realize that the definition of compassionate is 'to suffer along with the suffering'? Somehow that doesn't really tie in with what you said."

Niou shrugged. "Fine, I take that back. We are nice and kind but _not_ compassionate people. Happy?"

"It _might_ work if you'd said _you_ and not _we_," remarked Marui. "Since _you_ are in no way nice _or_ kind."

"Are you trying to say that _you_ are? No, enough of all that," I cut myself off. "We ought to get started on the task, since, as Akiko mentioned, it's almost time for the lunch crowd. I for one do not plan to get caught in it. Tokyo crowds are legendary, in case you forgot."

--

An hour went by. And another. And we still hadn't found _anything_. Unless one counted Niou's little _adventure_ in the ladies' lingerie shop.

(Flashback)

"Oh! I see a _jungle_ in there…" declared the trickster, heading towards a suspiciously pink-and-white decorated store with scantily-clad models in the windows.

Akiko followed him. "You do realize that that's a lingerie shop – for _ladies_, don't you?"

"Is there even such a thing as a _men's_ lingerie shop?!" I muttered.

Marui popped his bubblegum with a wide grin. "That'd just be wrong."

Niou continued walking, and a few seconds later they were inside the shop.

"Hmm… maybe this one?" Niou mused aloud, holding up a fire-engine-red bra with more lace than it could use in front of my unfortunate friend.

Akiko slapped his hand away. "Idiot. Stop doing that; it looks just plain wrong. And it's the wrong size too."

A shop assistant stepped up to them. "May I help you?"

"Ah, of course you may!" exclaimed Niou exuberantly. "What's her bra size?"

The shop assistant miraculously managed to hold a straight face and inspected Akiko critically. "72cm, B- or C-cup, I'd say."

"Thank you very much," said Akiko with a dangerous smile on her face that dared the shop assistant to comment. "We'll be leaving now, then." And with that, she dragged the protesting, silver-haired boy out of the shop.

Once they reached us, all of us, not just Akiko, gave Niou a sound whack about the head. "Ow! I was just trying to help –"

'What jungle _did_ you see in there?" I demanded.

"Well, the woman at the counter was stretching, and she had a veritable jungle of" –cough– "_hair_"–cough– "in her –"

Akiko whacked him again before he could finish his sentence. "Spare us your perverted thoughts. I'm going to tape your mouth shut; just see if I don't."

"I can't believe I know him, sometimes," commented Marui. "Let's get going."

(End Flashback)

All in all, it meant that we'd trawled through two huge department stores (one hour each, see) with nothing to show for it. It being autumn, the style of the season wasn't exactly geared towards 'wilderness', 'jungles' or 'deserts' – that was usually reserved for spring and summer collections.

Not only that; it was now lunch hour, and the place was _flooded_. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen so many people. There were people to be found everywhere you looked; the shoes of the multitudes did not leave even a square foot of the tiled floors uncovered. I felt quite claustrophobic.

And then, at long, _long_ last, we saw something.

"There! That shop!" I cried over the noise of the throngs, pointing it out as I shoved my way to it. Being ultra-skinny could be a real plus point when trying to get through such crowded areas.

Marui's eyebrows soared as he inspected the item. "Whoa. Five inches high, and made of what – suede and _python_ leather, tons of cutouts, and it costs 388,000 yen?!"

Niou let out a low whistle of appreciation. "Are those _dragonflies_ on it?"

"It's from Miu Miu," Akiko reminded them, shrugging. "And this _is_ Ginza. Prices and designs like that are to be expected."

"It's daylight robbery," I retorted. "So how am I supposed to get the shop people to let me model them?"

As if on cue, the shop assistant sidled up to us. "A-ano, d-do you need anything?"

I glanced at her. She seemed nervous and fairly new to the job; it wouldn't be too difficult to – wait, what on _earth_ was Niou doing?

--

To make a long story short, our dear silver-haired trickster _abducted_ the shop assistants. _Not_ in the literal sense, but close enough. Akiko went with them to make sure nothing _too_ terrible happened, which left Marui to be my cameraman.

May I just say that I do not own any heels more than two inches high for a _reason_ – that being the fact that I absolutely _cannot_ keep my balance in anything higher. It was the fault of not just the heels, but also my innate klutziness. _Catwalking_ in five-inch heels was, for me, a disaster waiting to happen.

And there was also the small matter of the longest aisle in the shop being the perfume aisle.

Suffice it to say, things did _not_ turn out well.

Why, oh why, had I chosen to do this?!

Oh, right. It's a graded project.

But _still_!!

"Three minutes – there." Marui finally turned off the festering video camera that had captured all of our most embarrassing moments. He helped me pull off the boots and yanked me to my feet. "Now what?"

Both of us stared at the wreck that had originally been the perfume aisle. The sickly sweet mixture of them all was beginning to fill the entire shop. I picked up one as-yet-unbroken bottle and checked the price tag. 70,000 yen.

"I'm _not_ going to pay for all this."

"Well, neither am _I_. It's _you_ who fell anyway."

Suddenly the shop doors opened, and the shop assistants appeared. They were alone; Niou and Akiko seemed to have vanished.

Both of them stared at the mess in complete silence for a full ten seconds before fainting dead away. The people behind them, onto whom they'd fallen, turned instinctively to see what was wrong.

Marui shook his head violently and grabbed my arm – "Run for it."

I needed no further urging. We were out of there before anyone, apart from the shop assistant, had gotten a clear look at us.

Although I really didn't know _how_ he did it, Marui managed to navigate us out of the entrance in under a minute. He was running so fast; either I kept up, or I got dragged. It was in no way a comfortable experience, but definitely better than what I'd have gotten if we'd stayed put.

Happily, the train station wasn't too far off. For once, Kami-sama smiled on me – a train heading for Shinjuku was in. Disregarding the fact that it was packed to the brim (remember it was the end of lunch hour and everyone was heading back to their respective workplaces), we shoved our way on board. More people boarded right after us, and personal space shrank until it was almost negligible.

"_Doors are closing. Please stay away from the closing doors,_" came the familiar, synthesized voice.

As the doors closed and the train started to move, both Marui and I heaved a huge sigh of relief. We'd made it; we were safe now.

An uncomfortable sensation on my upper thighs, however, immediately contradicted that.

--

**A/N: Oooh, cliffie. XD Let's see what exactly she felt in the next chappie ne? I promise it's on the way already! **

**YES!! My exams are over, and with them, so is my self-imposed hiatus!! –celebratory Indian war-dance– I hope this chapter was good for the long wait – I think I've kind of lost my touch for writing… T.T the chappie seems rather short, too… -sobz-**

**For the prices of the items, just take away the two zeros at the end and you'll get their prices in dollars. I know the conversion is probably wrong (I don't even know if I'm talking Singapore dollars or US dollars) but it's still a fair approximate, right? :-X By the way, the boots really do exist. They're… outside the imagination. Nobody in their right minds would wear them; they're blue and green with cream and black dragonflies. O.o S'poreans, they appeared in the Straits Times Urban paper on the 1****st**** of May, if you want to see them.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!**


	14. Uncomfortable

Chapter 13: UncomfortableChapter 13: Uncomfortable

Ugh. Please, Kami-sama; let me be imagining this.

I _wasn't_ imagining it. There was _definitely_ something. Something warm. _Not_ the kind of disgusting warmth that signaled the beginning of _that_ time of the month, but still uncomfortable.

The _thing_ moved, and my eyes widened. A _hand_?! Good Kami-sama, was there no peace for the wicked?!

Wow. What a wonderful way to end a particular _memorable_ school trip. Getting molested on a train that was so packed there was no way to get away.

I considered my options. I could _possibly_ edge out of reach of the molester if I moved forward. _Un_fortunately, my partner in crime, Marui, occupied the very space I needed to move into. No way was I about to press up to him just to get away from someone who had extremely _curious_ hands. Craning my neck unobtrusively, I tried to see who the culprit was.

Oh, Kami-sama. Swearing under my breath, I turned back again. Suited businessmen who looked to be about the same age as my father were all I could see behind me.

This just wasn't fair. Why did this sort of thing _have_ to happen to _me_ and nobody else? I was truly Kami-sama's favorite plaything, and I did _not_ appreciate it one bit.

To make it worse, he didn't seem about to remove his hands anytime soon. I closed my eyes and did my best to ignore it. Think of something else, I told myself silently. Fruits. Apples. Bananas. Raspberries. Raspberry cheesecake. Strawberry chiffon cake. Marui.

Wait, what?!

Start again. Movies. Harry Potter. Daniel Radcliffe. Ew…

Well, it did seem to be working. Until the image of Daniel Radcliffe appeared in my mind, snapping me out of it and back into reality.

The hand was still there, and making its way higher. The combination of that and the fading memory of the actor made my stomach heave.

However, it seemed that Kami-sama wasn't happy with the torture I was _already_ going through. No, there _had_ to be more.

The train slowed to a stop long before a station came into sight, and the same synthesized voice sounded over the speakers. "_Due to a malfunction of the traffic lights at the crossing ahead, we are forced to make an emergency stop. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused_."

I wanted to scream. _Sorry_ _for any inconvenience caused_?! Don't they know the saying 'sorry no cure'?!

Sadly – _very_ sadly – there wasn't anything I could do about it. I let out a long-suffering sigh as I returned to trying to ignore my surroundings.

Father. Baking. Muffins. Cookies. Chocolate. Sweet. Sweets. Marui.

… _What_?!

Something was definitely wrong with me right now.

A sudden whisper made me almost jump out of my skin. "W-what –"

It was Marui. In the flesh. And grinning. I wanted to slap that grin off his face _so_ badly. He should _not_ be enjoying my suffering here! Life was _so_ unfair!

"Life _is_ unfair," he informed me, still grinning – it seemed to have _widened_, in fact.

I started. I'd said that aloud?!

"Didn't you know that the word 'fair' in the context you are referring to can only be found in the dictionary? Anyway," he continued, "you look rather… anguished, I think is the best word. Something wrong?"

'Someone's molesting me.' Yeah, right, like I'd ever tell _him_ that.

Instead I shook my head. "We got delayed. Isn't that pissing enough?"

He raised one eyebrow. "You looked like that long before the train stopped."

"I'm just worried," I said defensively. "What if those people from Ginza can catch up with us, now that the train's been delayed?"

He raised the other eyebrow. "That's true, but how is _that_ a reason? It still boils down to the train being delayed."

Darn. He had a point. I racked my brains in vain for feasible excuses.

Having run out of eyebrows, Marui (no, he did _not_ wiggle his ears) lowered them again and ran a hand through his hair. "Good Kami-sama, Kitari-chan, why can't you –" He stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as he focused on something behind me.

Please no. Please, Kami-sama, no. I'd die of embarrassment three times over if he asked if I were being molested. The fact that it was true was beside the point – it was still utterly cringe-worthy. No girl should _ever_ be asked by a guy whether she was being molested if they were not close blood relatives.

To my surprise – no, that was an unforgivable understatement. To my completely, absolutely, utterly, unreservedly great surprise, Marui suddenly slid an arm around my waist and closed the bare inch of space I'd managed to keep between us by pulling me against himself, in the process swatting away the roaming hands of the molester.

This couldn't be happening. I glared at him. "What do you think you're doing?!" I whispered fiercely.

Now that he had both eyebrows back in place and ready for use, he raised _both_ at the same time. "Is it better to get molested by a guy who looks about the same age as Shu-ji-san?"

"Well, _no_ – but I never said I wanted to get plastered against _you_!" I shot back, trying my best not to blush but not quite succeeding.

"Hey, it's not like _I_'m enjoying this either," he retorted. "But self-preservation instincts told me that if I didn't do anything, you'd probably rail at me later for precisely that. I _could_ do without a scolding from you today, thank you very much."

"I don't –" I began, frustrated, before subsiding. "Fine."

He opened his mouth as if to ask for some expression of gratitude from me, but closed it again before saying anything. I was relieved when he turned away, apparently deciding that silence was the best option for now.

Somehow it didn't seem quite so bad to be in this position. The molester (whoever he was) had finally stopped… well, molesting, and Marui was actually comfortable to lean on.

Screech!! Halt!! What the _hell_ was that?!

I had most certainly _not_ been thinking that Marui was nice to lean on. No way in hell.

What about heaven?

Shut _up_!! Why in the name of Kami-sama would I think of _that_ in heaven?!

…Why on earth am I talking to a voice in my _head_ in the first place?!

He looks really nice from this angle.

… I did _not_ think that!!

But he does. He's probably the only person who can make purple eyes and red hair work. The bubblegum just adds to his appeal.

…Be that as it may, I should _not_ be thinking _anything_ of this sort!! And since _when_ did I notice – _want_ to notice – his _appeal_?!

As I battled out my internal war, the train suddenly jerked to a start. Caught off-balance, I lurched, and his hold tightened instinctively.

See, he's even protective of you.

It's _normal_ to hold tighter to something when the floor moves from under your feet!!

Still, it can't be denied that he really, _really_ feels nice. Maybe leaning on him a teensy bit more wouldn't hurt?

I closed my eyes and let out a (silent) sigh. It was going to be a long journey.

--

"You owe me," Marui informed me the moment we alighted the train and had our personal space restored to us again.

I shot him a glare. "I didn't ask you to do that."

Spotting an empty bench, he made a beeline for it. "Don't deny that you wanted me to," he replied over his shoulder.

"I didn't!" I exclaimed, following. "If you hadn't –"

"You still owe me," Marui cut me off. "Now, call Akiko – they'll be wondering where we are." Sighing, I pulled out my cell phone and pressed 1 then speed dial.

She picked up almost immediately. "_Kitari_!! Where in the wonks are you?! And do you know where Marui is? Why didn't you call us if you decided to leave early?!""

"We're back in Shinjuku station; we couldn't call earlier because we'd been in a carriage that doesn't allow us to use our cell phones," I explained. "Meet us at the benches near the ticket stations, ne?"

"… Okay… we'll be there ASAP. Ja!" She ended the call almost before I realized it, and I listened to the hollow beeping for a few seconds before it hit me.

"Mou, she doesn't need to be so –" I began, but was interrupted by a loud ring from Marui's cell phone. Of course, he picked it up. "Sure, ignore me!" I grumbled under my breath.

"_Marui-sama!!_" The squeal emitting from the phone was so loud that I could hear it clearly from two feet away over the noise of the commuters. I grimaced. It could only be the fangirls.

Marui, who was holding the cell phone a foot away from his ear, didn't seem too pleased about their call either, but still answered, "Konnichiwa…?"

"It's me, Reia-chan! Nee-san just told me that there's going to be a Christmas dance for the third-year middle school and first-year high school students, so – so will you be my date for the dance?!"

Marui made a face before replying, "E – eto, I don't think I'll be going –"

"The dance is compulsory, Marui-sama; if you don't want to go with me, I'm sure Shuuei-chan and Aiko-chan would be perfectly happy –"

"No, it's not that," he quickly interrupted. "You see, I – I've already got a date."

This time it was _my_ turn to raise my eyebrows at him. He hadn't even known about it until now (not like _I_ had, either); how could he have a date for it already?

"Oh? Who is it?"

"She's –" Marui hurriedly covered the mouthpiece with his hands and turned to me. "Kitari-chan, do you mind going with me to – whatever dance she's talking about?"

"Taken aback, I began, "No – wait, ye–"

"No? Good." He talked into the cell phone again. "Kitari-chan. She's coming with me for the dance."

--

**A/N: Sighh… another badly-written chappie, since I was rushing to write it… T.T**

**Was the chappie fluffy? I hope it was… well, compared to the previous chapters, it ought to be… :-X For those who wanted the fluff, it sorta got pushed to this chapter. Whoopsies. DX I didn't want to go with the whole hog of 'his eyes were a gorgeous shade of amethyst' and all that sort of thing because Kitari's not in the total 'head-over-heels for him' kind of thing YET. XD so if you like that, wait till she is, ne?**

**Nobody guessed correctly what exactly she had felt when she first boarded the train… -sighz- I suppose my – or rather, Shu-chan's – mind is just too warped to be fathomed by you mortals. Ore-sama-tachi no bigi ni yoi na.**

… **Ignore that. It was the ego talking, not me. XD**

**Please don't forget to REVIEW ne!!**


	15. Deal

Chapter 14: DealChapter 14: Deal

(Recap)

"No? Good." He talked into the cell phone again. "Kitari-chan. She's coming with me for the dance."

(End Recap)

This couldn't be happening. Absolutely couldn't. I mean, since _when_ did I agree to his absurd request?!

I replayed that particular moment in my head. Yup, I'd definitely said that I _had_ minded – unfortunately only _after_ I'd said I hadn't. Language could be such a problem! He'd definitely used that particular phrase for that exact effect. That bastard…

Marui end the call with a long-suffering sigh. "Phew. Fangirls are truly a plague on the world."

"You think?!" I glared at him. "Now look what you've done. They're going to kill me. And it isn't even as though I agreed to go to the dance with you!"

"You didn't?" He blinked at me. "You said you didn't mind –"

"Yeah well, I changed my mind," I retorted. "It was a slip of the tongue."

He shrugged. "It's a bit too late to say that, now. By the way, did you even know that this Christmas dance thing existed?"

I shook my head. "Kiyou didn't mention anything – no, do _not_ change the subject! Marui, I absolutely _refuse_ to go to this dance with you; you got that?! You can jolly well go and get yourself another date, preferably one of your fangirls so that us poor bystanders don't get beaten up for no –"

"Kitari-chan, _stop_. Let me at least get a word for my own defense in," he said, interrupting my torrent of words. "Look, I _know_ you didn't want this, and I'm _sorry_, okay? It's just one dance, and it's in more than a month's time. Cut me some slack till then."

"Sorry doesn't help," I shot at him, refusing to back down. "Do I need to remind you of what your fangirls can do in the space of a _week_?! They sprained my ankle, tortured my eardrums, gave me uncountable bruises and twisted my wrist so bad that I still find it hard to write –"

"Most of that happened without my knowledge," he countered. "And they've stopped it."

I snorted. "That's because your fan club's buchou's sister has one gigantic crush on my brother, and the protection only lasts while that crush remains. Not a very good guarantee. Besides, there're _other_ fangirls who might find it worth their while to bust me up so that the chances of your choosing them as a date would go up my 0.1 percent even at the risk of incurring Reia-chan's anger."

"If her sister is anything like Reia-chan, she probably also suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder," he pointed out. "Which means she's not about to let go of a massive crush easily."

"And what about the other fangirls?" I demanded. "They could also do permanent damage – not like they haven't, what with all the screaming, but –" Suddenly, I was interrupted by a loud rumble of hunger.

Marui looked rather sheepish. "We haven't had lunch yet…"

"But –" A growl from _my_ own stomach made me stop short. I sighed. "Let's go find someplace to eat. We can continue our argument there."

--

I was not surprised when Marui came back with a huge bowl filled with ice cream, chocolate-covered fruits and other sweet stuff that I was quite unable to eat. That wasn't to say I didn't _want_ to. It looked gorgeous.

We'd both eaten our fill of normal food – Gyuudon set meal from Yoshinoya – and were presently awaiting our other group members' arrival in a nearby parfait. I'd already called Akiko again to find out why they were taking so long, and she'd said something about the trains being too crowded and that they were waiting for a comparatively empty one – to which I'd had nothing to say but, "You're going to have to wait a _long_ time."

I raised my eyebrows at the sheer amount of dessert he was tucking into. "Aren't you afraid of putting on weight? I mean – you're in tennis and all that…"

He grinned mischievously, and I quickly banished the thought of 'he really looks cute like that' to the darkest reaches of my mind. "It's called the blessings of having a high metabolic rate."

"Ah. I see." I looked wistfully at the chocolate syrup drooling over the generous scoop of vanilla ice cream that was nestling between a large strawberry and a chunk of banana, both sprinkled with colorful toppings. Why did I have to be allergic?! It had to be Kami-sama's favorite joke on me, to seat me directly across from someone who was clearly enjoying every mouthful of something comparable to poison for me.

"You want some?" I snapped out of my reverie. Marui seemed to have noticed my longing gaze on the contents of his bowl. He held out a delectable spoonful of ice cream, banana and chocolate towards me. "Here. It _is_ quite a lot."

I immediately backed up. "No, I –"

"I don't mind, you know," he added bringing it closer. I could smell the deadly sweetness of that lethal spoonful. "Go on. It's really good."

"I'm _allergic_, you idiot!" I all but shouted, pressing even further away.

He looked surprised. "You're allergic to what?"

"Everything that's in that spoon!" I exclaimed.

"But how could you be allergic to –" he began.

"_I can't take sugar_," I informed him tartly. "And now that the fruits are also covered in that chocolate syrup, I can't take them either."

"Oh…" Withdrawing his hand, he put that same spoonful into his own mouth. "Pity. You don't know what you're missing out on." Almost as if to tease me, he licked his lips with utmost pleasure.

I pointedly ignored it. "Anyway, as I was saying, your fangirls can cause serious damage to me. They've got violent tendencies and anger issues. Just look over there and you'll know."

His eyes flicked in the direction I was indicating. Reia and Aiko were there, whispering heatedly while throwing furious looks in my direction. Shaking his head, he observed, "If looks could kill, you'd have been dead long ago…"

"Precisely my point," I replied. "So, I have a suggestion for a compromise. I'll go to this dance with you…"

Marui raised one eyebrow. "But…?"

I leaned closer, determinedly ignoring the fangirl-like screams that sounded in my head at the close-up of his large, catlike violet eyes. "You'll have to stop coming to my place to buy your cakes."

Those eyes widened. "But Kitari-chan, I –"

A hand suddenly slammed down onto the table in between us, and both of us leapt back – I nearly jumped out of my skin. Akiko towered over us. "What is going on here?" she demanded.

Niou, standing directly behind her, grinned. "Puri."

--

Once both had sat down and we'd filled them in on our argument and its cause (I was _not_ going to divulge a word about the train ride itself anywhere near Niou Masaharu; Marui was smart enough to take my cue), Niou stole a spoonful of ice cream from Marui. "Well, don't let us interrupt the deal. Do continue. It would be entertaining."

The self-proclaimed tensai tugged at his hair. "Where were we? Oh yes… Kitari-chan, I can't just _stop_ buying those cakes! Like, it's my anchor to the tennis team –"

"Since when did I say you needed to stop _buying_?" I interrupted. "Do you think me so stupid?! Nobody in their right minds would chase away a well-paying customer!"

"Then what _did_ you mean?!" he demanded.

"Send someone _else_ to get them," I told him. "I'm sure you can have your pick from anyone in your fan club. It's a fair exchange – I'm still going to get all the physical injuries I can take, what with this dance. Adding your patronage to it would just add fuel to the fire."

There was a short silence as he thought this over. While he was distracted, Niou snuck a hand over and filched a strawberry.

"I'll do it," Akiko spoke up suddenly. We all looked at her, and she blinked innocently at us. "What? I don't live too far away from either of you. It'd be relatively easy, and it'll save you some pain, Kitari."

Niou stole more ice cream. "Relative to what?"

She ignored him. "Is it okay with both of you?"

I nodded; Marui shrugged. "It's fine."

"Okay. Remind me about it, ne?" She glanced at the almost-finished bowl of ice cream and, like Niou, stole a spoonful.

Marui pretended to pout. "I know it's nice, but if you people take so much, you're going to have to pay compensation to me. it cost me a bomb."

I joined in the ensuing laughter, but thought I saw out of my peripheral vision my best friend's eyes linger on the redhead's carefree, laughing face. When I looked a second time, though, it was gone.

--

"Why did you offer to help us out?" I asked Akiko curiously, on the bus on the journey back to Kanagawa. Once again, it was us girls sitting together, with Marui and Niou on the other side of the aisle. I was quite grateful for the newfound distance.

She shrugged. "If he _had_ decided to ask his fangirls to do it for him… you know very well that they'd attack you as soon as look at you."

I winced. "Somehow that just sounds like my face is extremely off-putting."

"That's not it, but I'm sure you got my point," she remarked. "In any case, how was the train ride? Wasn't it very crowded?"

Wincing again, I replied, "_Painfully_ crowded. I now understand why such a large percentage of molestations in Tokyo take place in trains or train stations. It's so crowded you've got nowhere to run to and get away from him"

She raised her eyebrows. "You got molested?"

Giving her an affirmative nod, I proceeded to fill her in on the details I'd previously left out. Akiko, I'd found out years ago, was a magnificent confidant. She was perhaps as closemouthed as a clam. Maybe more. Of course, I left out my internal argument with my new, controversial views of Marui. That was something I was going to take to the _grave_. And Akiko, no matter how closemouthed, wasn't a grave.

"That must have been terrible," she commented when I finished. "Marui-kun… _protected_ you, I suppose that's how you say it. He's a nice guy, don't you think?"

I blinked at her. "He's Marui-kun. You ought to know by now that I have no good opinion of him." Well, even if I _might_, I wasn't about to admit it anytime soon.

She looked thoughtful. "Hmm…"

--

**A/N: Whew. Finally got this chappie done!! And my dear Akiko is acting oddly… XD –rereads description of Marui's ice-cream and starts drooling– Anyone would steal that, apart from Kitari who is, as you may have noticed, still in denial. LAWLZ.**

**Sadly, I probably won't be updating for about another two weeks. Reason being that I'm off to Malaysia for a school trip from the 20****th**** to the 23****rd****, then to China with my family from the 27****th**** to the 3****rd**** (of June). T.T I'll do my best to see if I can do anything in between them, though. And since it's HOLIDAYS I want to try at least one update every two days, though not necessarily for this ficcy. XP**

**PS. Gyuudon (beef rice) is Yoshinoya's (Japanese restaurant) signature dish. It's awesome. XD I love it!!**

**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW!!**


	16. Talk

Chapter 15: TalkChapter 15: Talk

The first thing I did when I got home that evening was to locate Kiyou and demand as to whether there really was such a thing as this Christmas dance that was going to cause me so much suffering.

"Yes, yes, it does exist," he said. "I almost wish it didn't – Reiko's been bugging me about it for a week already…"

I let out a long sigh and plopped onto my brother's bed. "Damn. You've just crushed my last hope."

He swung around in his swivel chair, propping his head in his hand and resting his elbows on his knees. "What happened? Don't have a date?"

"I have one, and that's the problem," I retorted. "I didn't want him in the first place."

Raising a teasing eyebrow, he inquired, "Might I know who it is?"

After weighing the possible consequences, I took the plunge. "Marui."

"Marui?" He whistled. "Wow. You're lucky to get him; I have no idea why you're complaining!" Pushing his chair over, he ruffled my hair playfully. "Congratulations on bagging one of the most popular guys in your level for the dance, lil' sistah!"

I shoved him away with enough force to roll the chair back to his desk. "Shut up! I told you I did _not_ want him as a date in the first place!"

"Be that as it may, I still think this is great. You've finally come to your senses and accepted him!" he declared. "I'm sure you'll end up liking him anyway – not that you don't right now, but –"

Seeing that it was no use talking to him, I threw a pillow at him to cut him off and then left his room. In case he followed, I made sure to lock _and_ barricade the door. Only when I was sure that nobody would be able to burst in without leave did I collapse onto my own bed to think things over.

My situation really was quite a unique one. How many girls could say that they'd had their first date with an extremely popular guy that she personally hated to a big, official school dance?!

Then again, it surely couldn't be as bad as I thought. Perhaps I was just being excessively bitchy when he was around. During the field trip, when we were forced to hang around each other, I'd found that we could actually get along at times…

And I really couldn't deny that he had looks worthy of a fan club of that size, either. Gorgeous eyes and an innocent look but balanced by a mischievous grin combined to make him quite irresistible. Maybe –

I sat up suddenly and got out of the bed. Enough! I told myself, grabbing my pajamas from the wardrobe. I don't want to think like that. I don't want to feel like that. I… – I thought as I flung open the bathroom door – …am going to bathe, and forget all these uncomfortable thoughts and feelings..

--

My brother was already manning the shop when I came down for a late brunch, having overslept breakfast. He was talking to somebody on his cell phone.

"Mm. The park's fine. See you later." Kiyou ended the call. "Oi! Kitari!"

I sighed and emerged from the kitchen. "I'm barely five feet away; you don't need to yell."

He grinned. "Better safe than sorry. I'm going out for a while; since dad's buying groceries, the shop's all yours!"

"Which girl are you meeting _this_ time?" I asked suspiciously. "If you're sneaking around with someone other than Reiko-san, I'll be in deep shit! I told you not to break up with her till _I_'m in high school –"

"Relax – I'm meeting a guy. Ittekimasu!" Winking, he left before I could stop him and demand to know what he meant by that very questionable statement.

"Darn…" Dropping into the chair behind the counter, I debated on the merits of following him. Kiyou needed to be looked after, sometimes… but it being a Saturday, I couldn't just leave the shop unattended either. It seemed that I'd have to hang around till my father came back.

The park, eh?

--

"Yo. Did you wait long?" That was Kiyou. It seemed that I'd come right on time; he'd probably made a few detours on the way before finally arriving in the park's playground. A good thing that I'd caught sight of him halfway through the park. Carefully, I peered around the tree behind which I was concealing myself…

"Not really." I could recognize that voice anywhere, even without seeing his face. It was Marui, in the flesh, sprawled in the large sand pit with a redheaded kid (probably a relation to him – I've never seen anyone else with that particular shade of hair) that looked to be about three. I somehow managed not to choke in surprise.

Why the hell was my brother meeting Marui of all people?!

Kiyou settled down next to him and smiled at the little girl. "Hello, Saki-chan. Where's your dog?"

She stared at him with liquid eyes. "Doggie didn't come."

"Yuuri-ba-san didn't let her bring it," explained Marui. "It's trailing blood everywhere – you know, female dog and all."

"Ah." My brother nodded in understanding. After a few seconds of silence, in which he watched the girl carefully, he tapped her arm. "Saki-chan, do you want to play a new game?"

The word 'game' seemed to catch her attention. "Play game? Saki-chan likes to play game!" Scrambling over to him, she bounced excitedly in his lap. "Teach Saki-chan new game!"

Was it just me, or did Kiyou trade a wink with Marui? "Does Saki-chan know that this park has exactly ten maple trees?" he inquired. When she shook her head, he continued, "Well, it has. They all turn a very nice red at this time because it's autumn. So far, I've never been able to find ten leaves, one from each tree, which is perfect – perfectly red, no holes or tears – that are all the same size. Neither has Marui."

The redhead nodded in agreement. "It's very difficult. If Saki-chan can do it, Kiyou-sempai will give Saki-chan as many muffins as you can eat while you're here. Right?" Above the girl's head, he sent a mischievous grin at my brother.

Kiyou ignored it. "Of course I will.

Saki put on a very serious face as she thought it over. Suddenly she brightened. "Saki-chan likes muffins! Saki-chan will play game!" Trotting over to Marui, she hugged him around the neck. "Saki-chan will share muffins with Bun-chan later!"

"Arigato, Saki-chan," replied Marui, apparently not minding the nickname that was making me silently crack up behind the tree. By the time I had recovered, the little girl had already vanished in search of the trees.

The redhead stretched out and lay back on the sand with a huge sigh. "Was that really the best way you could think of getting rid of her?"

"Well, it was the first that came to mind," Kiyou defended himself. "And there really _are_ only ten maple trees in this park. What's she doing here anyway?"

"She's Ayame-chan's brother's kid, so I suppose she's my niece," said Marui slowly. "Some of the family is here for my parents' twentieth wedding anniversary. Anyway, why did you want to meet me? Is it about Kitari-chan?" I immediately strained my ears at the mention of my name.

My brother nodded. "Yeah. I wanted to ask why you suddenly decided to date her. See, she told me about you asking her to the dance –"

"I'm not dating her. It's called making a move out of desperation," clarified the younger boy. "Those fangirls were all over me, and I really didn't want to spend hours on end in such terrible company. They –"

"They stare at you starry-eyed, practically drool over you and just about shove their chests in your face while being rendered unable to make any sort of intelligent conversation by our greatness," finished Kiyou. "I know. And if Kitari ever starts doing anything like that, I'll deny that she's related to me in any way."

If I ever do anything like that, just kill me, I thought. I wouldn't want to live such a pathetic life.

"Precisely the point. She _doesn't_ do that." Raising a hand in front of him into the air (he was lying on his back), he began to count off on his fingers. "She's decent when she wants to be, she's got more between her ears than dust, and she's about as likely to start fangirling over me as Sanada is of admitting he has a major crush Mura-buchou."

"Ah. I take it he still hasn't admitted it?" my brother inquired. "Does Yukimura-kun know?"

"Yeah duh he knows. He's _Mura-buchou_," the redhead reminded him, as if it explained everything. Which it did, actually.

Kiyou grinned. "I take it that he just likes to watch Sanada getting tortured. How are Niou-kun and Yagyuu-kun doing?"

Shrugging, Marui answered, "Much better than before. _They_ at least aren't afraid to let us know they're together."

Behind the tree, my brain was spinning with the overload of unnecessary information. If all this was true, at least half of the tennis team was gay…!

"Are you planning on hooking up with Kirihara-kun?" asked Kiyou casually, while I stifled the startled noise I made. Marui and Kirihara were homos too?!

Marui huffed, almost indignantly. "I'm not gay. Neither is Akaya. And if you're going to ask, Jackal is most definitely straight – he's got a girlfriend already. But I don't know about Yanagi – nor do I really want to know. What about you?"

"Me? I'm bi," said my brother.

I wasn't surprised. Kiyou flirted with just about anyone, boy or girl. I'd seen him. He just wasn't as obvious with the guys.

"Thought so," commented the other boy. "Most sports people are."

"Yup. Being bi is quite liberating, you know," mused Kiyou, grinning. "Male or female, anything goes. My only requirement is that they must be at least as good-looking as me."

It took me a great effort to keep from banging my head against the tree. Ego much?!

Marui apparently thought so too. "You sound almost like that egoistical guy from Hyotei. Atobe, I think his name was."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he replied. Still grinning mischievously, he added, "Just for your information, you pass the test."

The redhead cracked an eyelid. "Oh joy."

"And so you should be. I have high standards… but we digress." Kiyou propped his head in one hand. "How did you manage to persuade my sister into going to the dance with you?"

"Oh. That. She disallowed me from coming to buy things personally until the dance is over." He absently began to trace shapes in the sand. "That friend of hers – Akiko-chan – offered to bring the stuff for me."

"'Offered'? Hmm…" My brother looked to be deep in thought. Then he seemed to shrug it off. "Tell me, Marui-kun – do you believe that my sister hates you?"

Marui thought it over. "Not really. Last time, before I got onto the team – before I got fangirls – she didn't seem to have anything against me. She was just another girl in the class; I didn't pay her much attention."

Yeah – and I hope you never will!

Or did I?

Banishing the thought – of course I hoped he wouldn't! – I returned my attention to what was being said.

"Then I got the fangirls, and around the same time, I started to get dirty looks from her. I didn't know why; I mean, I didn't treat her any differently," he continued. "Niou told me she was just playing hard to get and she actually liked me when I told him about it."

'Surprised' described my reaction about as well as 'breeze' described a hurricane. I was staggered.

"So I still didn't think she actually hated me, at least not until a while ago when she stormed onto the courts and slapped me in front of everyone," Marui said.

Kiyou, who had been listening in silence until then, snorted in laughter. "She _slapped_ you?!"

"Yeah, she did. That's when I realized that she actually _did_ hate me," explained the redhead. "So I tried to make amends. I mean, I don't like being hated because of _fangirls_ – nobody would."

"That's perfectly true," agreed my brother. "What happened yesterday, though? She came home with a black face and bitched like hell about the dance."

"We had a field trip to Tokyo, organized by the student council – for some 'interdisciplinary learning', or so they claim. I think it was engineered to embarrass us all to the utmost for the student council's enjoyment," remarked Marui. "We drew lots to get our groups –"

Kiyou laughed. "The two of you were in the same group, right? What kind of luck have you been having…"

"Weird luck," replied the redhead. "But there was the whole 'sticking together through adversity' or whatever it's supposed to be. She was actually decent towards me. I must say that having her and Akiko-chan instead of the fangirls was a real blessing." Suddenly he stopped. "Eto… Kiyou-sempai, is Ayame-chan somewhere behind those trees? Because I get the feeling that you're making eyes at someone."

"Yup, she's there and making eyes right back at me," answered my absolutely impossible brother. Didn't I say he needed to be looked after?! "She started it, though."

Marui sighed and turned, raising his voice to call, "Ayame-chan, come out here!"

"Kitari, you too – get out of there. I know you're somewhere around…" Kiyou's eyes swept the area, and paused for a second almost directly at me. "Ki-ta-ri…"

I sighed. Kiyou had an uncanny knack at finding me and knowing when I was around. As I stood up, I thought wistfully that if Kiyou didn't know I was there and if Ayame hadn't been there, I could've enjoyed watching the two amazingly pretty boys talk for a little while longer.

Wait. I did _not_ just think that.

--

**A/N: OMG this is SUCH a long chapter. But I couldn't have just cut their chat in half, could I? Agh… I was totally rambling man… if I didn't notice that I'd already hit seven pages I might've continued, but then I wouldn't have anything to write about in the next chapter, so… yeah.**

**Rambling. Still rambling. Just ignore me. No wait, don't ignore me. since I'm suffering from minor writer's block, major homework overload and major drama addiction, I may not be able to update as much as I'd like to. I'm trying my best though…**

**P.S. Hanakimi rocks. XD Even though they could have better-looking actors. LOL.**


	17. Unknown

Chapter 16: CousinsChapter 16: Unknown

I watched Ayame with a certain measure of suspicion – after all, she could well be one of those rabid fangirl types with obsessive compulsive disorders like Reia and the others. And she was targeting my brother, which didn't do very much to raise her status bar in my eyes (though I did admit she had good taste, Kiyou was obviously gorgeous and it didn't take a lot to notice it).

"Ayame, this is Kiyou-sempai's little sister Kitari-chan," introduced Marui. "Ayame's my cousin, Kitari-chan."

The girl smiled brightly at me. "Hi! The name's Marui Ayame, but just Ayame's fine. I suppose you're in Rikkai Chuu?"

"Yes; Shu Kitari – Kitari," I said. "What about you?"

"Me? I'm in Hyotei Gakuen's high school section," she replied. Seeing the suspicious look I gave her, she laughed. "Now don't look at me like that; I'm not one of the rich snobs we're famous for! I'm a normal human, serious!"

Her laughter was carefree and infectious, and I found myself warming to her immediately.

"Yeah, she isn't a snob," affirmed Kiyou. "Trust me."

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Give me three good reasons why I should trust you, of all people. Isn't she the girl you had fun with in Tokyo?"

He had the grace to look sheepish. "Well…"

Marui, apparently quite lost, broke in. "Wait a moment, can I just get some things straight here? Kiyou-sempai, how did you know Ayame-chan? I don't remember –"

"Oh, our badminton team boarded in the Hyotei dorms during the championships last year," explained my brother casually. "I met her on the campus."

"No wonder she suddenly started wanting to take up badminton," muttered the redhead.

Ayame just laughed again, obviously finding her cousin quite amusing. "Hey, you can't blame me! If I could play doubles or something with Kiyou-kun, it'd be totally awesome –"

"Okay, okay, I get the point," cut in Marui before his cousin could ramble off into her fangirl fantasies. "So you went out while Kiyou-sempai was in Tokyo?"

"Not really; there wasn't much time, what with training in between matches and watching our possible opponents' matches," explained Kiyou. "But we did manage to meet up quite a few times."

"I don't doubt it…" I knew Kiyou very well, and his ability to skive in order to meet up with a particularly interesting girl was not to be underestimated.

Suddenly another voice rang out. "Bun-chan! Ki-nii-chan!"

"Ah, Saki-chan's back," observed Marui.

The little girl appeared, triumphantly holding up ten perfectly red, perfectly shaped maple leaves. "Saki-chan found leaves!"

"Good Saki-chan. Kiyou-sempai will bring the muffins he promised… ne, Kiyou-sempai?" Grinning cheekily, he picked up the three-year-old with ease.

My brother sighed dramatically, getting the hint. "Of course."

"Yay! Saki-chan loves muffins!" she cheered, clapping her small hands while a huge smile split her face.

I wondered why they looked so similar– Marui, Ayame and Saki, that is. Even taking into account the fact that they were relatives (which meant discounting the resemblance on grounds of that pinkish-red hair color apparently unique to their family), there was still this _something_ that made them all the same… was it that carefree glow, that mischievous smile, that _look_ that only they could do, cute and naughty and innocent and flirtatious at the same time?

Lost in thought, it was only when we were on the doorstep that I realized they had brought us to their house.

--

"Well then – tuck in!" declared Kiyou with his usual melodramatic flourish.

Saki flashed a big grin at him before happily obeying his orders. The huge yet defenceless basket of muffins practically quivered with fear under her enthusiastic onslaught.

"I want muffins too…" Marui was staring hungrily at the rapidly vanishing stock of said confection.

"Ask her for it then," suggested his older cousin. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving you a few; there's so much!"

He blinked in surprise. "Wait, I seem to remember you promising to share them with me, Saki-chan."

"Saki-chan share muffins with Bun-chan!" The little girl surfaced from her food – mouth full and face smeared with jam, chocolate, icing and Kami-sama knows what else – with a shining smile stretching from ear to ear.

"Great! Thanks, Saki-chan!" Marui eagerly started sampling the muffins. "Oh good Kami-sama… Kiyou-sempai, I swear your stuff gets better every time I eat them."

My brother laughed and bowed with great aplomb. "Thank you, thank you. I shall convey your congratulations to the chef… later."

I felt a great need to plant my face onto the tabletop. "Kiyou, that was just _so_ anticlimatic…" Just then, my cell phone rang. Checking the caller ID, I answered the call. "Yes, Akiko?"

"Kitari, are you free right now?"

"I suppose so… why?" I inquired.

"My dad's dead," she answered, so matter-of-factly that she might have been telling me the time of day.

"Your dad's _what_?!" I all but screamed. The other occupants of the room looked up in surprise, but when I ignored them, they returned to their individual pursuits.

"Dead."

I collapsed limply in my chair. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"I have never been more serious."

And I believed her, too. _Only_ Akiko… I thought, exasperated and amused at the same time. "Okay. I'll be there right away."

"See you soon." The call ended, and I was heading for the door even as I closed my cell phone.

--

"Cancer of the lymph nodes." Akiko shrugged. "Malignant and in its fourth stage. He died in the hospital."

My head was spinning. This was really too much. Yes, I knew Akiko liked her privacy, but this was going too far! "Akiko, _explain_!"

She stared at me in genuine confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't you tell me _anything_?" I cried. "Look, I barely know who your dad is, I don't remember ever meeting your mom, I can count the number of times I've been to your house this year on _one hand_. And…" I laughed, almost hysterical. "You're my best friend. That's really pathetic, isn't it? We ought to know each other back to front and practically be a member of each others' families, especially after five years of being best friends!"

There was a long pause in which I found a great interest in the grain of the table and she stared holes in my back. Finally, though, Akiko let out a sigh. "Kitari… I'm really sorry. For everything."

"Yeah, like that helps," I mumbled. After blowing up so spectacularly childishly, I was starting to feel quite embarrassed, though it certainly wasn't enough to make me back down.

Akiko propped her elbows on the table and laced her fingers together, the way she always did when she was settling in for a long talk. But instead of looking at me, she seemed to be focusing on her own hands. "You're right. I don't deserve to be called a best friend; I'm probably the worst friend ever."

I blinked at her. "Wow, I never thought you'd say something like that."

"Well, when I'm in the wrong, I wouldn't deny it," she replied, smiling crookedly. "What do you want to know?"

"Where's your mom?" I asked immediately. It was something I'd always wanted to know, since the only family member she ever mentioned was her father, and sensing that it was probably a sensitive issue, I'd refrained from probing too deeply.

She let out a tiny laugh. "I knew you'd ask that. She and my dad divorced – that was why we moved here, though I always said it was job-related. Not that it isn't," she added quickly, "but he asked the company to transfer him out of the city to get away from her, so technically –"

"Okay, I get the point," I interrupted. Akiko always felt the need to completely clarify the details of the points she made, which could be a right pain in the ass when it came to class debates. "So… what exactly happened to your dad, and what's going to happen to you now?"

"He really _did_ die of cancer of the lymph nodes," Akiko said, a tad indignantly. "From what I know, he was at a business meeting in Yokohama when he collapsed. They called an ambulance to get him and the hospital admitted him to the intensive care unit. Apparently he told them not to give him any drugs apart from painkillers, and… he died about six hours after admission. The hospital he was in contacted me about an hour ago."

Six hours… "At least he died without too much pain," I ventured.

Nodding, she managed a smile. "Mmhmm."

Admittedly there was a lot about her family life that I knew nothing about, but I most definitely did know plenty about Akiko's own habits and what clues to look for to deduce what she was thinking. Her eyes were still slightly puffy; her hair less than perfect; her smile almost fake… and she'd been notified an hour ago.

Unless I was completely mistaken, she had been crying in that interval before calling me. Upon realizing that, I was overcome with guilt, but knew better than to show it – she'd surely deny it. "I suppose you're going to live with your mom now, is it?" I said after a moment.

"Yes. My grandparents want to hold the funeral in Yokohama, though, so I'll be in the area for a bit longer." Her mouth twisted slightly. "I don't know if that's a good thing or not."

"Sapporo… that's so far away," I commented. "But when I get enough money for a holiday, I'll fly to Hokkaido and you can be my tour guide." Trying to lighten the mood, I added, "I'll tell you in advance so you can book us a nice ski resort."

That managed to get a real smile from her, and the conversation took a rather lighter turn. She told me about her past and her family as well as many other details I had not known of before that I itched to take notes because I was sure I wouldn't be able to remember them all.

After some time, we took a break. As I sipped at the water she'd brought sometime during the discussion, I suddenly noticed that my best friend seemed rather preoccupied. "…Akiko? What's up?"

Her face seemed shadowed. "Kitari, I called you to come here because I needed to tell you something – something that has absolutely nothing to do with my family."

Caught off guard, I blinked at her. "What?"

"Kitari…" She looked so serious; something really terrible must have – "I'm so very sorry, but if I left without you knowing, I'd feel really guilty. Actually, I recently got a crush on Marui Bunta."

"_What_?!" I really didn't know whether to laugh or to cry… and here I was, thinking it was some earth-shakingly important event or information of some sort! "What – How – Why – When – Ah heck; what on earth do you see in him – no, before that, why the hell are you telling me?!"

Akiko smiled in amusement, but there seemed to be a tinge of sadness as well. "Because, after I leave, he's going to have to look after you in my place."

--

**A/N: Well, as you'd know by now, I've rewritten this initially –ahem- not especially well-received chapter. Hopefully it's an improvement, and I sincerely apologize for uploading such a terrible piece the last time.**

**I've minimized the part on Ayame and simultaneously increased Akiko's part. With luck, this will rectify most of the problem, since complaints seemed to be concentrated on the new OC's presence.**

**P.S. Just to clarify, the fourth stage in cancer is the last and definitely fatal one, especially for malignant cancers. Sapporo is the biggest city in Hokkaido; Yokohama is Kanagawa's capital. And if anyone's forgotten the time frame, this chapter's events were set somewhere in the afternoon, meaning that Akiko's dad died sometime in the morning.**

**Please Review! Some of those awesome muffins might just come your way XD**


	18. Loss

Chapter 17: LossChapter 17: Loss

(Recap)

"_Kitari…" She looked so serious; something really terrible must have – "I'm so very sorry, but if I left without you knowing, I'd feel really guilty. Actually, I recently got a crush on Marui Bunta."_

"_What?!" I really didn't know whether to laugh or to cry… and here I was, thinking it was some earth-shakingly important event or information of some sort! "What – How – Why – When – Ah heck; what on earth do you see in him – no, before that, why the hell are you telling me?!"_

_Akiko smiled in amusement, but there seemed to be a tinge of sadness as well. "Because, after I leave, he's going to have to look after you in my place."_

(End Recap)

This was strange on so many different counts that I could barely begin to list them. Firstly, the fact that she was so upset over such a trivial thing while still being unmoved by the loss of her father was freaky. It simply wasn't normal for someone to fret over crushing on her friend's boyfriend while calmly accepting the untimely death of her own father's _death_.

Secondly, this was _Akiko_. In all the time I'd known her, I'd never seen her fall for anyone. Not even when we were twelve, when having a crush was considered fashionable and cool. She hadn't even tried to pretend that she liked any guy, despite not-so-indirect accusations of homosexuality. The very idea of her _liking_ Marui – no, _crushing_ on Marui – was unthinkable.

But then, again, this _was_ Akiko – which meant that though I thought I knew her, I probably had only seen the tip of the iceberg. She'd probably always be the cold, mysterious enigma that those around her saw. Lucky as I was to have gotten through the 'cold', for the most part she was still keeping the 'mysterious' and 'enigmatic' very well.

In a way, I almost felt sorry for her. Her maintainence of that uninviting façade, even with me, was proof of her inability to trust anybody. To be unable to mutually trust and believe in anyone… it was truly pathetic. I wondered what had happened to make her so distrustful, but decided that to push her for her reasons be futile, especially now, when she was emotionally unstable from the recent events.

And finally – why the wonks was she telling me this?! Why did she seem to expect punishment or anger from me? I was nothing to the boy. Yes, I admitted that I had felt the beginnings of a crush on Marui quite a few times recently, but I'd certainly never acted like I thought of him as anything more than an annoyance. Nor had he behaved as though I meant anything more to him than a classmate, groupmate, and the sister of a friendly sempai. There was nothing to make her think of us as _together_ in any sort of relationship involving romance – because we simply _weren't_!

I almost _wished_ that that was the answer, just because it'd make everything _simpler_. Only for that reason, though.

Akiko seemed to sense my confusion and the probability that I wasn't going to be able to articulate for a while. She smiled slightly. "I suppose you're wondering why I'm making such a big deal about it rather than about my dad dying?"

When I nodded, she sighed. "Earlier, didn't I mention that he and my mother were always quarrelling over long-distance phone calls?" I nodded again. "Well, it so happens that my mother fell sick sometime when I was eight. He was overseas again on some business, and even though the hospital called to inform him that her condition was critical, he didn't make any attempt to come back. " Akiko's lips twisted bitterly. "Work always came first for him. I'd never forgiven him for that. And my mother only made it worse – she didn't care, though when she somehow managed to recover, she demanded the divorce the moment she set eyes on him."

I was speechless, though not for the first time today. That had to be one horrible childhood. No wonder she didn't like to trust anyone. Sad as it was, where did that put me? Akiko had always been some kind of protective figure to me, someone who acted as though the Red Sea would part when she told it to. Someone who was _in control_. If she was pathetic, then I was much, _much_ worse. I'd thought her immovable when she was less rooted than an orchid. I'd trusted in her when she could trust none. I was so very, very stupid.

Finding my voice, I asked, "If he was so terrible, why did you choose to be in his custody when they divorced?" I wanted to know, and now was no time to be tactful.

"I went with him because I wanted to make life harder for him," Akiko said. Her frankness was painful. "With me around, he'd find it harder to start a new relationship. Of course, I'm a financial burden as well, and that doesn't hurt either. It's a bit like revenge of sorts. Besides, it takes off those same burdens from my mother."

Psychological damage was highly likely, I mused. Not that I could blame her.Such objective, emotionless thinking was probably the only way she had survived that kind of life. Maybe she _had_ grown close to me, in her own way. Just to have someone believe in her, to take her existence as something apart from troublesome, to make her feel as though she was actually significant – it was probably a blessing to her, even though I was completely unaware.

She spoke again, seeing that I was not about to answer. "Anyway, that's all in the past. What I meant earlier, when I said he would have to take care of you… at this point of time, he's probably the closest one to you apart from me who's in any position to help. That naturally doesn't include Kiyou, since he's in high school."

"Help what?" I asked, confused. "And why are we suddenly talking about my brother?"

"Help you get around in school without me," explained Akiko patiently. "You do realize that things'll be pretty different."

I bit my lips as I thought. No Akiko meant no deskmate to make cynical comments with, no partner for projects, no sympathetic ear to listen when I ranted about everything in general and nothing in particular. "Point taken. So what about it?"

"Well, you're going to be quite a sad case if things are just left that way. So…" Akiko trailed off. "I don't know," she admitted. "But just try to get along with him. You'd be surprised."

--

Akiko left the very next day, despite Kiyou's repeated reassurances that the administrative matters regarding her father's property here would take much longer to clear up. Surprisingly, she stopped by to bid me goodbye one last time.

There was too much I wanted to say, and yet also nothing I felt I could communicate. Obviously she felt something similar. The silence between us was full as I hugged her fiercely, trying to convey my regret and pity for this broken soul she hid inside.

Kiyou gently put an arm around my shoulders, for once not pretending that the world was nothing but a game to him. I could see the real sympathy in his face when I finally turned away from the road once the car that had come to pick Akiko up had vanished beyond sight. "Kitari…"

I gripped his sleeve as though catching at a lifeline, almost anticipating the sense of loss that I knew would come sooner or later and wanting to get it over with quickly. My father's presence appeared behind me, and he wrapped me in a warm embrace. "Shh… it's okay, you'll be okay," he murmured, rocking me slowly the way he had when I was six.

Unable to stop myself from comparing him to Akiko's father – what little she'd told me of him, anyway – I decided that I was much more fortunate than I thought. I had a family that cared.

The next day, Kiyou escorted me all the way to class, and even after making sure that I wasn't going to break down at the sight of Akiko's empty seat, he was reluctant to leave. Of course, my classmates were equally reluctant to let him go. The girls were staring at him with starry eyes while the boys mobbed him – he'd always been something like everyone' favorite sempai.

In the end I had to practically shove him out of the classroom and order him back to the high school section on pain of torture both physical and mental. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the kindness of his gesture – I did – but his presence was only exacerbating my situation with the rest of the girls. Dealing with fangirls was right at the bottom of my list of 'Things To Do Today', but it seemed that it was going to be unavoidable.

I was right – barely had I returned to my seat when the whole lot of them swarmed over, demanding to be introduced to my 'super-duper-absolutely-amazingly-GORGEOUS' brother. Even the hardcore fangirls, which was saying something. I was just about drowning under the barrage of questions, squeals and general chaos when someone quite unexpected appeared at the edge of the melee, flashing me a mischievous smirk.

Niou casually tapped a fangirl on the fringe of the group on her shoulder. "Hey. Just wanted to let you know that your panties are showing – you tucked your skirt in them."

The unfortunate girl immediately turned a shade of red that could possibly compete with Marui's hair and hurriedly fixed her glaringly obvious fashion faux pas. After all, only Superman wears his underwear on the outside. And Captain Underpants, but he wasn't really counted since he _was_ Captain Underpants.

"_Pervert!!_" screamed a couple of other girls who'd witnessed the little incident. The cry was soon taken up by the rest of my assailants, and the crowd quickly melted away from around me, instead now intent on my silver-haired rescuer.

Heaving a sigh of relief, I collapsed onto my desk, deciding not to waste energy and brain cells wondering why the Petenshi had helped me out. It was only the first day without Akiko around, and I was already feeling half-dead. Even on days when she'd simply stayed at home sick, I'd always felt as though an important appendage was missing. What I was experiencing now made that pale in comparision.

"You look like a drug addict suffering from withdrawal," observed a familiar voice.

I looked up and met half-amused, half-pitying amethyst eyes. "And here I was hoping you'd be a gentleman and tell me I look as wonderful as a dewy rose at dawn," I retorted, but could put no real bite into the sarcasm.

"Frankness is one of my strong points," he informed me, giving me a cheerful grin. "You don't want to know the bad ones, I'm sure."

"Oh no, I know them too well already," I replied with a sniff of mock disdain. "Why I continue to be associated with you, I have no idea."

Marui laughed, and I found myself smiling in spite of myself. "Alright, alright. Let's go look for Niou – I kind of feel bad for him…"

He looked somewhat surprised. "Why'd you feel bad for him? If it's because you think he's being bulldozed by your girls, don't worry. Niou wouldn't have lived this long if he didn't know how to survive something like a fangirl attack."

--

Days passed and became weeks, and almost without my noticing it, a month had gone by since Akiko left. November's blaze of color faded swiftly when December arrived, tearing the remaining leaves from their branches and sending them spinning to the ground with harsh gusts straight from the Arctic. Though winters here in Kanagawa rarely brought snow – the last time we'd had a white Christmas was at least four years ago – temperatures were still much lower than could be considered comfortable, and we bundled up accordingly.

Somehow, Marui and I managed to get along. He filled in the gap Akiko had left behind in me, though of course there were significant differences. I often wondered if he thought I was someone who could be counted as a friend – he seemed to try his best to include me in his circle, and they (his teammates) in turn treated me as one of them… most likely out of kindness or under the orders of their formidable buchou and fukubuchou. Kindness was all well and good in its own way, but it just wasn't what I needed.

After Akiko, I wanted to trust and be trusted in, yet it seemed impossible to do so completely and without reserve. We had a history of sorts, and it got in the way… or so, at least, I told myself. I refused to accept that I was afraid – afraid of finding out what exactly was the strange barrier that neither of us could – would – cross.

Because when I thought about it, when I forced myself to look at it without pre-formed opinions, Akiko had been right. I _had_ been starting to crush on Marui. Perhaps that was why I so often felt as though we were too close for comfort, yet at the same time did not want to move away.

What with my very bad luck with friendship, I seemed to have ended up a very… _clingy_ kind of person. But at least I realized it, and I wanted to clear up this whole mess as soon as humanly possible.

--

**A/N: Oh Kami-sama… this is such terrible crap. I think I might have to rewrite… T.T dammit, I really need to dig myself out of this angsty emotional rut that I'm stuck in…**

**If anyone's going to bother listening to me try to defend this pathetic pile of words… well, it's mostly description because, as many of you have told me to, the time frame NEEDS to be shoved forwards or I'm never going to be able to finish writing this fic. And that means there isn't much time for action. Of course, it's also due to my never-ending writers' block, which prevents my poor muse from coming up with anything apart from bloody, angsty, painful little vignettes – which I shall not even attempt to put in here, since it's supposed to be humor. I hope you still think it's humor… :-X**

**Well, please review. Even though I know this crap really doesn't deserve reviews. Half of you would most likely yell at me for posting such worthless shit… -sighs dejectedly- Again, review.**


	19. Baby'

Chapter 18: Baby

"Yukimura-san gave me this – see, it's a sushi plushie! Isn't it cute?"

"Nope."

"You _could_ at least pretend, if you didn't think so… but _how_ could you not think it cute?! It's the first soft toy in this shape I've ever seen –"

"Precisely – it's a soft toy; I don't like soft toys and can't see why anyone would. They're useless and childish and –"

"_I_ like soft toys!"

"Yeah, so you're childish."

"Are you calling _me_ childish?!"

"No shit, Sherlock."

I glared at Niou. "You have been severely deprived of a childhood."

He shrugged, nonchalant. "If a childhood means cooing over these useless, flea-infested, saliva-drenched _objects_ –"

"They are not!" I protested, outraged.

"– then yes, I suppose I _am_ deprived of a childhood… though of course, I personally feel that it's a blessing," he finished, ignoring my interruption. "Might I also take back my previous insult? Calling _you_ childish might be an insult to real children as your intelligence level is on par with a newborn's."

Marui, who had been watching with some interest, remarked, "That'd mean you're calling her a baby, right?"

Gasping at Niou's prior barrage of both subtle and not-so-subtle jibes, I barely recovered in time to hear his reply to Marui's observation. "Yeah, that'd be it… so I'll call you 'baby' now, how's that?"

"… 'Baby'?!" I promptly lost what composure I'd managed to regain. "Do you even realize how very wrong that sounds?!"

Both boys blinked at me. I was not pleased to note that I could still appreciate their beautiful eyes even in this current situation. "…Wrong?"

Surprised at their slowness, I asked, "What does 'baby' sound like?"

"Just… 'baby'?" ventured the redhead, apparently nonplussed.

I sighed in exasperation. "Okay, let's dumb it down a bit more. Guy calls girl 'baby' – how would a casual observer think they are related?"

It took them a few seconds before understanding finally dawned on. "Oh. Right." Niou stretched lazily. "Well, nobody would make _that_ mistake if the girl concerned is _you_."

"You die, Niou Masaharu!" I yelled, going for the Swiss Army knife I knew my dad kept under the shop counter. "Die!"

Laughing, he ducked under my swing and caught that arm before I could pull back for a second attempt at murder. "Now, '_baby_', have I ever mentioned that violence is a sign of simplemindedness?" he drawled, condescending air so thick it could rival the legendary ego of Hyotei's captain, Atobe.

I struggled, even though I knew very well that it was futile – these guys had exercise-sculpted muscles, while I could barely drag myself up the stairs sometimes. The point was not to just concede to them simply because they had a physical advantage, or rather, to put on an appearance of defiance. Any normal girl would want the privilege of close proximity to Niou Masaharu, and I'd had to give up telling myself I didn't like it, though I fiercely clung to at least that façade of distaste – for rather varied reasons.

One of these diverse reasons was that Niou was magnificent and absolutely deserved every single member of his huge fan club, along with the devious brain of a criminal mastermind (Artemis Fowl comes to mind). His face value almost paled in comparison to his scheming intelligence (almost, because he was really too gorgeous). Despite endless self-reminders that boys were unnecessary and in fact problematic creatures plaguing the world, I still tried my best to get him to look at me with interest, as though I was worthy of his full and undivided attention – because he so rarely deigned to show such interest in anyone or anything besides tennis, trickery and sometimes Yagyuu.

Which leads me to my second reason – Niou belonged to Yagyuu, and everybody knew it. The time when I _didn't_ struggle when he caught me, I received a long-winded lecture on how certain male friendships should not be gotten in the way of from Yanagi. I'd laughed my ass off; not because the lecture in itself was funny, but because Marui had, before Yanagi had dragged me off, delivered a much more simplistic summary of the lecture's content – "I thought you knew they're dating!"

Thus, to the great disappointment for his fangirls (how they found out, I never knew), Niou was unofficially out of the dating game for the time being, and since I knew both that as well as the reason behind it, I didn't need to be told to try not to look as though I was flirting with him. Not that I knew how to flirt or how to look like I was or wasn't flirting.

And then there was Marui. I was still in turmoil when it came to what he was, or had become, to me. He was as always the loyal patron and regular customer of our shop, but he was no longer quite the same pretty-boy pain in the ass with fangirls who could put lynch mobs to shame. He was still a pretty boy and could still be a major 

pain in the ass at times, but the fangirls had been quelled, and we were now getting along quite well… perhaps even _too_ well.

After all, they say that true platonic friendship between two people of different genders is impossible; there will always be something that didn't quite conform to the rules defining 'friendship'. I didn't realize the difference until it was too late.

Now I was always surrounded by the popular guys that most girls would literally die for. Girls avoided me like the plague, when they'd simply acted as though I were transparent before. As unobservant as I can often be, I took no notice of it – the treatments were similar enough, after all. But the different company I kept after Akiko had left always reminded me that I wasn't quite the same as my past self.

I wasn't the outcast sister of that hot high school badminton player, nor was I the whiny sweet-shop girl who was constantly getting in the way of the tennis players – who could, of course, do without the hindrance. I seemed to have become part of the crowd, yet wasn't really accepted among the majority of its members; I had somehow integrated into the close circle of friends that was Rikkai's tennis team, yet still felt awkward around them. I wasn't who I had been, that was for sure – but I wasn't a whole new person either.

A voice jolted me out of my contemplation of how exactly I'd ended up in this problematic state of affairs. "A penny for your thoughts. It must be something worth knowing about, what with you spacing out for so long that Niou's given up hope for your sanity."

"Oh? I thought he'd given up _long_ ago…" Then my current situation sank in, and I practically shrieked, throwing myself backwards to get away from him. "_Marui_!! That's _way_ too close – what the _hell_ were you _doing_?!"

Those gorgeous amethyst eyes I'd been observing at _very_ close range a few seconds ago blinked at me, far too innocent to be trusted. "Checking exactly how stoned you were. You beat Akaya flat, as far as spacing out is concerned."

"I feel insulted," I complained.

"You were," he informed me cheerfully, ignoring the death glare that that earned from me. "So what were you thinking about, that it requires such attention as to disable your senses?"

"Nothing!" Oh good Kami-sama, what did I do in my previous life that I must repent for by forgoing the ability of repressing blushes?!

He just looked at me, not commenting on the heated flush I _knew_ was mantling my cheeks. I felt the blush get worse as I recalled what I had been thinking prior to that rude awakening and mentally cursed my inability to hide my thoughts or read other's thoughts. Being doubly lacking is _terrible_.

Suddenly, the door opened, its chimes cracking the tense silence. "Ah, Marui-kun, I –" Kiyou stopped and looked from the redhead to me and back again. "… Did I interrupt something?"

"Oh no, nothing at all, really," I said brightly, putting on my biggest and fakest smile that all but screamed '_don't ask!_' in giant printed letters.

"I see…" As I'd hoped, Kiyou got the message and didn't inquire further. "Marui-kun, since it's pretty late and all, would you like to stay for dinner with us?"

Oh no no no. Bad idea. Very bad idea. I did _not_ want Marui around for dinner (for the first time at that) after such a weird episode – incident – occurrence – whatever! Particularly not _today_, of all days – today was the last day I spent as a fifteen-year-old!

But I couldn't do anything now – Kiyou, that _idiot_, was already dragging the protesting redhead towards the kitchen.

--

To say that dinner was awkward would be a severe understatement. It was cringeworthy, no less – or at least it was for me.

My dad always liked having big dinners whenever there was the slightest excuse for celebration. Which meant that there was a spread fit for a king on our table, and since Marui didn't know, the chef (my dad) was only too happy to explain the occasion – resulting in further discomfort on my part.

"So _that_ was why Mura-buchou gave you that – sushi plushie," observed Marui. "I'd intended to ask about that earlier, but you spaced out –"

"Yes, yes, that's why," I cut across him before he could mention anything of what had happened _after_ I'd spaced out. "I don't remember telling him about it, though…"

"I'll bet he got it from Yanagi," said Kiyou. "Yanagi has access to the biodata of almost everyone he does or might want to know about. Actually, what _I_'m surprised about is that _you_ don't know; I'd thought that even if Kitari didn't tell you, Yanagi would."

The redhead shrugged. "I think he assumed she'd tell me herself… Well, you'll just have to wait for a present from me – unless a Christmas present can count for both?"

My dad shook his head sadly. "Cheapskate, money-faced misers… what has this generation come to, I wonder?"

Marui had the decency to look ashamed. "Sorry…"

Impossible though it was, he managed to look even cuter when contrite. "It's okay," I hurried to reassure him. "Really. It's fine."

"Well, there's that Christmas dance tomorrow, isn't it? On Christmas Eve?" Kiyou's voice was suspiciously bland, as though he were trying to seem blasé. "You could be her date, Marui-kun."

"I second the motion!" The smile adorning my dad's face was unreasonably delighted.

"But I thought…" Marui trailed off uncertainly, looking at me in confusion. "Kitari-chan, didn't we –"

"Oh!" Memory hit me with the force of a sledgehammer. How had I managed to forget about that agreement we had made, what, a few months ago? It felt like a lifetime had passed since then… since Akiko had left and everything changed…

But he'd not kept his side of the bargain, had he? He'd continued coming to our shop, he'd continued associating with me – though of course, I'd not protested about that, even while I still remembered our agreement.

Did I really not want to go to the Christmas dance with him? It was rather like the middle school version of the high school post-graduation prom, though the first- and second-year high school students made up the bulk of the participant – the high school third-years and middle school first- and second-years were not allowed to go, since the high school seniors needed to focus on university entrance exams and the other middle school students were considered too young. Attending such an important with Marui… it was beyond my imagination.

Yet, I felt rather guilty for forcing him into it. If he didn't want to, I had little reason to make him… plus, it was very likely to be much less enjoyable if he went unwillingly. I bit my lip in distress; why did I have to be so righteous and proper and _kind_ even to him, even at this time?!

"I don't mind, but I think Kitari-chan would, so…" Marui was speaking again, jolting me out of my thoughts for the second time in just over two hours.

"Wait!" I interrupted. "What did you say?"

Surprised, he repeated, "I don't mind being your date for the Christmas dance, but I thought you might not like –"

"No!" Again, I cut across him. "I don't mind it if you don't mind it either – wait, does that make sense?"

"Nope," chorused all three of them.

"Well…" That cursed blush was coming back, damn it! "I mean, I don't mind if Marui-kun takes me to the party if he doesn't mind having to take me to the party."

"So, in effect, you'd like him to be your date if he does it willingly," summarized Kiyou. "Is that right?"

"… Yeah, something like that." Damn and blast that uncontrollable red flush!

"Okay, then it's settled. You're dates for tomorrow!" proclaimed my brother. "Dad, do you feel privileged to have witnessed this momentous event in your beloved daughter's life?"

My dad laughed. "Indeed I do! How many parents can say that they've witnessed a similar event?"

"Very few - and for a _very_ good reason," I growled, still as red as a beetroot

Marui also looked rather embarrassed, but he managed to laugh. "Hey, it could be worse – some parents would go all weepy about their 'baby daughter getting all grown up when they weren't looking' and all that…"

I didn't comment on the 'baby'. He could call me that all he liked; I wouldn't mind at all. And people could think whatever they wanted about it.

--

**A/N: I have a habit of rambling – that should answer everything you might want to complain about. :-X Well, rambling is better than not writing at all, right? They're all pretty OOC too… T.T **

**By the way, did I happen to mention Kitari's birthday before? It's supposed to be on Christmas Eve, but I might've written something different in the earlier chappies… I seriously can't remember, and I don't have the time to reread the whole thing (I don't even remember which chappie I might've mentioned it in), so… yeah, if you happen to remember, tell me.**

**Please Review!**

**Note: IMPORTANT!! Final-year exams are in less than four weeks' time, so as of today, I'm going on hiatus until October 10****th**** at least, probably for longer. No more updates for this ficcy till then; Who Am I and How To Irritate Your Superiors are to be uploaded tomorrow because I'm only halfway through with them.**

**I know that whether or not I go on hiatus doesn't really make a difference, being as I've barely updated anything recently, but at least those who haven't given up on me yet will know **_**why**_** there aren't any updates for a whole month. Writing fics during exam time is not the best for your grades – or your fics, for that matter. I like straight A1s and not having to rewrite quite as much, so going on hiatus is really for the best. I'm sure you wouldn't want to read crap – well, crap in comparison to what I've been producing recently, which is something like rotting sludge… :-X**

**With that said, see y'all in about a month! (Provided I survive those exams… -shudders-)**

**P.S. Shu-chan, Rei-chan, if either of you are free enough to be reading this before Tuesday, i just wanted to tell you that I **_**do**_** have my Math file from last year (I dug it out from… somewhere…) so I won't have to borrow from either of you. Oh, and we got a Merit Prize at the Biotech Fair! HCI got first, third **_**and**_** at least three Merit Prizes… but heck, we're still awesome XD**


	20. Misgivings

**Chapter 19: Misgivings**

"Damn," I muttered, burying my face into my pillow. "I shouldn't have agreed… that was just stupid beyond belief…"

Now that I'd had a little more time to think about it, I couldn't help beating myself over the head. I had effectively signed my own death warrant just three hours ago at dinner.

Seriously, how stupid could I get?! What the hell was I doing, going to a school dance for my first date?! I didn't even know _how_ to dance, for Kami-sama's sake! Not only was I officially going to be the fangirls' Public Enemy No.1 (it had been unofficial before, I believe), I was also going to be _publicly humiliated_ – by my own self, no less. And in the process, probably cause significant embarrassment for my partner. Joy.

Moreover, I'd as much as told Marui to his face that I liked him. I'd practically confessed to him in front of my _family_.' Embarrassing' didn't even _begin_ to describe the situation. Wonderful, wonderful – I'd _already_ humiliated myself, and there was going to be plenty more before this gods'-cursed dance was over and done with. I slammed my fists into my pillow in frustration, mauling it in a vain effort to release my churning emotions.

A knock on my door diverted my attention before I could rip the unfortunate pillow to pieces. "Kitari…?"

Kiyou. Of course. What, was he going to rub it into my face that I'd been forced to confess in front of him? I dealt my pillow another vicious blow. "If you're going to tease, just go away and let me die in peace."

The door opened, and my brother peered inside. "I thought you were pleased to be going to the dance with Marui. Don't you like him?"

"That's beside the point," I ground out, fixing him with a fierce glare. "Either you come in or you stay out; no standing in my door. Well?"

"I'm coming in," he answered, closing the door behind him. "So what's the matter?"

I bit my lip. Should I really pour out my heart to my brother…? Probably – he _had_ been to the dance last year and was going again this year, so he'd know how to handle stuff. For one, I knew Kiyou couldn't dance; he could help me on that at least.

After listening to my long list of problems, Kiyou sighed. "Kitari, even if it's called a dance, that doesn't mean you _have_ to dance. It's more of a social gathering than anything else, really – but it'd be weird to call it a drinking competition or a mass karaoke event, so 'dance' would fit best."

"… Right. So I don't need to dance…?" I ventured, half-incredulous.

"Yup. There's a dance area, but you don't need to go onto it – the dance club members and the teachers are the only ones who must dance; it's a rule of some sort. If you want to dance, you just join in with them," he explained. 'It's pretty spastic, really. I'd advise you not to try if you can't – there's no way you're going to be able to learn a dance in one day and perform it well."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I said. "What did you do, then? Is there –"

"Well, I joined in the karaoke competition and the Dance King lucky draw… and the, erm, beauty contest thing." He rushed the last item out, obviously hoping I wouldn't inquire further.

Curious, I probed, "Beauty contest? And what lucky draw?"

"Oh, the lucky draw is like this – there're two huge cakes, one for the guys, one for the girls, and they both have an object of some sort inside them, like a star or something. If you happen to eat the slice that has the thing inside it, you're the King or Queen of the night, and you can order everyone around. The only thing you can't do is get another partner, because you and your partner – the other person who got the object in the other cake – will be handcuffed together for the rest of the night until you go home." He grinned. "I didn't get it, which was lucky because the Queen was Reiko."

I laughed along with him, but I hadn't forgotten the rest of my question. "So – the beauty contest?" I reminded him.

He sighed. "Damn, I'd hoped you'd forgotten. Well, there was a poll of sorts, asking who was the best-looking girl and guy. The voters have only one vote each, and they can vote for either a girl or a guy, but not for both. The candidate list was pre-prepared –"

"You were on it, of course," I finished for him. "Did you win?"

"Nope. One of the older guys had more fangirls, I believe." The look on his face was one of utmost desolation. I _had_ to laugh. "Ungrateful wretch, laughing at me when I'd just helped you," he scolded with mock outrage.

"Sorry, but it _is_ funny," I defended myself. "Thanks, Kiyou. I feel much better already."

"No prob. Enjoy yourself with Marui, okay? He's a good person; not much of a playboy. You deserve him. I've done this much for you – but it's up to you to hook him. Good luck!"

"How dare you –" Kiyou winked and left, cutting me off. I let out an indignant huff. Really, he was a perfect example of an irritating older brother who loved to match-make his younger sister – but he did have good intentions… _usually_…

--

The grin on Niou's face was plain wicked. There was no other way to describe it. "So, how did that idiot persuade you?"

I blushed and looked away. "Don't remember… stop asking, will you?!"

"Nope. It's fun to see your reaction. Particularly when this long-awaited date is in less than twenty-four hours," he replied. "You've liked him for ages, haven't you?"

"I – _no_! Of course I haven't! What are you implying, you perverted moron?!" I protested, immediately on the defense.

He raised his eyebrows at me, obviously amused. "What's with the vehement denial? You _do_ realize that it just confirms my guess –"

"Does _not_. You're reading way to deeply. I'm just going with him as a _friend_," I retorted, stressing heavily on the 'friend' though I knew he had already seen through me.

"Yes indeed – a nice, kind, _female_ friend. How many would do that for a guy she didn't like in some way?" Niou made a gesture as if shooting a gun at me. "Too bad, dear girl. You're a hundred years too early to argue _me_ around."

I sighed and gave it up. He _was_ right. "Fine. I _did_ like him for some time already," I conceded. "What's it to you?"

"What is it to me…? Entertainment, of course. It'll be interesting to watch the two of you finally get together after tiptoeing around each other for so long," he replied. "Marui can be too _nice_ at times. If I were him, I'd have had you all over me a long time ago."

"Pervert!" I yelped. "I am _so_ glad I didn't fall for you, you egotistical freak!"

He gave me one of his lopsided grins. "Hey, I'm glad too. Experience is good, but there are some things one never wants to have to go through…"

"Bastard," I sniffed, affronted. Changing the subject somewhat, I said, "He probably thinks the same as you, though."

At that, he choked on the Warhead he had just popped into his mouth, coughing hard. "Eh? Come again?"

I shot a dirty look at him. "I said, he probably doesn't want to… uhm… go out with me…" My voice trailed off. I knew I was blushing hotly in embarrassment; after all, Niou was just about the worst person I could think of to talk to in these matters.

"Wait a second; why the heck are you thinking about such things _now_?!" cried the silver-haired trickster in obvious exasperation. "If you were worried about that, you should've given up on him eons ago. Girl, you've got a date with Marui Bunta tonight, and that's that. There's plenty of time _later_ to worry in."

"That's not the _point_," I grumbled petulantly. "I don't think I should go out with him if he doesn't like me. It'd be useless and hurtful on both sides."

Niou groaned, vexed. "Not you too… no _wonder_ you're always avoiding the subject… Look, Kitari, if it bothers you so much, ask him to his face whether or not he likes you. Of course, I personally think that that would be a singularly unproductive waste of precious time –"

"Why'd it be a waste of time to find out whether or not someone likes you?" I demanded indignantly. "Clarity is the best thing for –"

"Indeed it is, but if you're blinded by your own self-doubt, he could be dancing in front of you with a huge plastic heart on his head and you'll still insist he was doing it for a bet and not because he likes you!" he exclaimed. "Open your eyes and _look_, girl!"

"But it's possible for that to happen," I pointed out. "It _is_ a feasible bet –"

Once again, he cut across me before I could finish. "Admittedly, yes; but the point is that he _does_ like you and it's perfectly obvious to most of us who know him well! Do you think he'd let just any girl diss him on a daily basis? Do you think he's really so nice as to protect every victim of his fan club? Do you –"

"Okay, okay! I get you!" Come to think of it, he _was_ right. I'd never really thought about it in _that_ way… but now that he'd given me the idea, I quickly scanned various incidents in my memories for such signs.

Marui's visits to my shop had increased in frequency despite fewer tennis practices. He and the others often came together even when only one planned to buy something; they'd usually hang around to chat with my brother and I for a while. Manning the shop could be boring, and both of us welcomed the entertainment, but I'd never noticed anything about it.

We talked, bickered, laughed together, and somehow it felt so natural. Our conversation was always free-flowing, leaping from topic to topic as they appeared in our minds, with little or no inhibition once I'd gotten used to the gender difference. Akiko had been right to say that once she'd left, the person I was closest to was Marui – I'd just never realized it in that way. Her prediction that I'd end up very close to him in particular was uncannily accurate.

And just yesterday, he'd been amazingly thoughtful of my feelings even with Kiyou and my father pushing us together. In some way or other, I felt rather touched by that consideration.

"See?" Niou's voice roused me from my reverie. "Marui likes you; he just tries to show it unobtrusively. He's uncharacteristically shy in this kind of thing. I don't blame him, though… most people are nervous too…"

"Were you, ever?" I inquired, curious.

Shrugging, he answered, "I probably _was_… but it was a damned long time ago, and I don't remember what it's like anymore."

"You can say that again," I muttered. Niou's skin was thicker than most doors; that was an established fact of life.

Ignoring me, he went on, "Sometimes one has to put one's pride on the line to get what one wants. It's difficult to pluck up the courage to do so, but if you really want something, you'd do anything for it. You two haven't reached that level yet."

"And _you_ have?" I demanded with incredulity plain in my voice and face. "With Yagyuu?"

"Who else? D'oy with Yagyuu. I'm thinking of announcing us officially as an item tonight…" He trailed off thoughtfully, staring past me and out of the shop window at the deep green firs.

I was about to make a comment when he suddenly sat up. "Marui's here."

"What?!" I glanced at the clock; it was barely noon, much too early to go for the evening dance. But the pinkish-red, stylishly messy mop of hair was unmistakable – it had to be him.

Swearing like a sailor, I made for the kitchen to try to make myself presentable, though why I was worrying was beyond me – he'd seen me hot, sweaty and sticky in our school's unflattering school uniform on more than one occasion. "Tell him to wait!" I yelled over my shoulder at Niou.

The door chimes' tinkled; he'd arrived. I bit my lip in apprehension. We had to talk, I knew, but it wasn't an especially inviting prospect, particularly not with Niou around. Kami-sama was certainly not on my side in the settings of my recent milestone conversations with Marui.

I prayed silently to any and all gods who might have been listening to give me a break. Then, I straightened my back and walked out.

--

**A/N: HIATUS OVER!! Hopefully my writing ability has recovered somewhat… tell me what you think, ne? I'm really sorry for not updating for so long, and when I did update, for not having much Marui-Kitari fluff… but it'll come soon, because it IS a MaruiXKitari fic and Marui-Kitari fluff is inevitable.**

**I hope the angst has decreased a little here. As I said before, this fic was never meant to be angsty. I've done a little editing on some of the previous chappies, particularly Chapter 17: Loss, which I edited and extended significantly. Go check it out for a little more Marui-Kitari interaction **

**Review Please!**


	21. Moments

**Chapter 20: Moments**

Fifteen minutes to eight. I sighed, shifting my weight uneasily. Marui was _late_…

"Still not here?" Kiyou asked, with sympathy evident in his tone.

"Yeah. He _said_ he might be late, but I didn't think it'd be _this_ late," I muttered, watching as my brother shrugged into his jacket. We'd come early to help our father, who as usual was catering a large portion of the pastries and other sweetmeats for the school event.

Although the dance had been scheduled to start at half-past seven, the preparations had taken more time than expected. Even so, it was only recently that the huge event hall started to fill up.

"It's common courtesy to come on time," I grumbled, knowing I sounded whiny and not really caring.

"It's also common knowledge that big events never start on time," Kiyou countered smoothly. "Don't blame him. I'll be off to join my friends, then – if I see him, I'll tell him to come, okay?" With that, he sauntered out of the kitchens and to the dance floor.

I admired the striking figure he cut in his all-black outfit as he left. It made him seem even leaner, complimenting his dark hair and emphasizing his brilliant green eyes. The dark denim jeans made his legs seem to go on forever. My brother really deserved his fangirls, though I'd never tell him that to his face for fear of boosting his already overgrown ego.

Leaning back in my seat, I tried to recall exactly what had been said earlier in the day.

(Flashback)

"Marui?" I feigned surprise at seeing him, though Niou had informed me just moment ago of his impending arrival. "What – why –"

The tensai grinned. "Ko_n_nichi_wa_, Ki_ta_-ri-_chan_," he greeted. I nearly melted at how amazingly _cute_ he made my name sound with that particular emphasis on certain syllables.

Recovering, I asked, "Why are you here? You can't have run out of sweets _already_; you stocked up on them yesterday!"

"Remember, Marui here has hell of a sweet tooth," Niou drawled. "Where sweets are concerned, there's a black hole where his stomach should be."

"And this coming from someone so greedy he'd eat the plate if he could," commented Marui. "You are shameless, Niou. Anyways, I just came to tell you I might be a tad late tonight, so…"

"It's fine; I'm going there early to help my dad with the food and stuff, so I can meet you there," I hurried to reassure him. "Just tell me when you come, ne?"

He looked rather taken aback. "Are you sure it's okay…?"

"Yes, yes," I repeated. "It's perfectly okay." Of course, it wasn't, but I still felt quite insecure where he was concerned, especially since this was all completely new to me.

Marui opened his mouth again, as if about to say something else, but then closed it again.

(End Flashback)

So he was supposed to meet me here. Then again, he didn't know where exactly I was… maybe he wanted to spring a surprise but couldn't find me? No, he wouldn't do that…

Attempting to contain my anxiety, I checked my appearance for what felt like the tenth time in fifteen minutes. The white dress put me on tenterhooks; I kept thinking I'd managed to get it dirty yet again within a couple of minutes each time I dusted it off. I was wearing black leggings, more for warmth than to make my already spindly pins look skinnier; my kitten heels were also black.

The mini-handbag I carried and scarf-like hair-band (the kind that holds your fringe back) I wore, all in verdant green, added some color to the otherwise monotonous outfit. My earrings, necklace and bracelet (all of which made up one of the two full sets of jewelry I possessed) were gold chain hung with green crystals.

To match all these, I had managed to successfully apply green eyeshadow, mascara and a little gold dust around the eyes. I had left my lips untouched but for some lip balm to prevent them from cracking in the frigid air.

I felt overdressed.

Going to such lengths to look good for Marui… it was rather unsettling, even overwhelming I'd never felt the _need_ to pour time and effort into dressing up, probably because nobody ever bothered about what I looked like. Now, _everyone_ was going to be staring at me, criticizing, questioning, more likely than not disapproving of this upstart who thought she was good enough to date _the_ Marui Bunta.

Suddenly, my cell phone rang, startling me out of my feverish speculation. I glanced at the caller ID as I picked it up. "Marui?"

"Hey." I could detect no hint of anxiety in his voice. "Sorry I'm late. Where are you?"

"In the kitchens, but don't worry – I'm coming out now," I answered, ignoring the instant acceleration of my heartbeat as I ended the call, cutting off anything he might have said. No way was I going to meet him in the _kitchens_; I'd had more than enough embarrassing settings, thanks very much!

However, Kami-sama seemed to remember that she'd not been torturing me for a while… and she wasn't going to let me off that easily. I hurried out of the kitchens… only to skid on a banana peel, perform a few very fast and complicated ballet-like or gymnastic-like sequences, and hit the connecting door at full tilt.

The good thing was, I hit the door at an oblique angle, thus sparing myself some injury. The bad thing was, I hit the door _handle_ – which caught the seam of my skirt and neatly ripped it apart.

Once I'd regained my breath, I swore fluently, putting all the dirty language I'd picked up from prolonged exposure to Niou and Kirihara to good effect and simultaneously taking inventory of the damage done. Apart from the skirt of my dress, which had ripped at the back (every cloud has a silver lining), a few minor bruises and a headache, I did not seem to have incurred very much injury.

"Kitari?! Are you okay?" I looked up; Marui had found me. His amethyst eyes were wide with worry and there was no sign of bubblegum.

"What do you think? I hit a _door_; would I be okay?" I retorted, not noticing the sudden lack of an honorific in my name.

The redhead only sighed and hauled me to my feet. I teetered, still rather unstable, and nearly fell again before he caught and steadied me. Enjoying his careful grip on my arms, I decided that being accident-prone could be a good thing. "Any bones broken?" he inquired, half-teasing but not entirely trivializing the situation.

"Nope, but my skirt split," I replied bluntly, guessing that he would be shocked or embarrassed by this revelation. How many guys could hear that their date's skirt had split without such a reaction?

Contrary to my expectations, though, Marui just stared at me for a second, then shed his coat. "Just tie it around your waist. It'll cover the tear."

I clutched at the item, not quite sure how to respond. It smelled of the cold outside air and apple bubblegum.

--

"What the hell… Marui-sama is her date?!"

"He deserves _so_ much better…"

"Heck, she's got an aerodrome where she should have a mountain range."

"I heard she flashed her chest at the tennis regulars a couple of months ago. Might've taken off more if they didn't stop her."

"Seriously? Kami-sama, what a slut…"

I sipped at my drink, studiously ignoring the skeptical, critical whispers around and about me. Really, there was nothing too surprising so far in the gossip. The dirty looks and vengeful stares boring into my skin from every direction were also expected.

Marui shot me a meaningful look. "You know, I could tell them to shut up and go away…" He made as if to do what he'd suggested, but I quickly stopped him.

"Don't," I said. "It'd only make things worse – they'll hate me even more if you stand up for me."

He paused. "I meant what I said, about keeping you safe," he reminded me.

"That's not the point," I answered patiently. "You do realize that they could attack me in the girls' toilets and you wouldn't be able to do very much about it."

"So you want to let them say what they want?" Marui demanded. "You're no slut; why should you be called one?"

"Because life is easier that way." Niou flopped carelessly into one of the empty seats. "We can't control our fans as completely as we'd like to. Commanding them to shut up and leave your girlfriend alone would make them more jealous of her than if you hadn't."

Yagyuu pulled out the other chair, seating himself gracefully. "What Niou-kun says is true. I too found this out from my own experience."

"You had a girlfriend before?!" We stared at the supposedly studious gentleman in surprise.

"It was a relationship of convenience and an experiment of sorts on my part at least," he clarified. "It means nothing now."

I glanced from him to Niou and back again. "It had better be, or you'd be buried alive by this guy."

"I have a name, you know," grumbled the silver-haired boy.

"And a very nice name it is too," agreed Yagyuu placidly. Marui managed to not roll his eyes.

Realizing that I was parched, I announced, "I'm thirsty."

"Same here. Let's go get something to drink," suggested Niou, tugging me out of my seat towards the drink stand.

"Wait – but – " I protested, unable to free myself from his iron-like grip. Every single person on the tennis team had muscles like steel; I'd learnt long ago that when they wanted to drag you, it was best to simply let them drag you because no amount of resistance could prevent them from doing so.

He glanced back in the direction of our table and then up at the ceiling. "Mistletoe. You owe me a kiss, girl."

I glared at him, hoping that my embarrassment at the sudden demand did not show. "_I_ have a name too, idiot. And I'm taken."

"What's a little kiss between friends?" Niou's eyes held a particularly evil glint. "Come on. I know it's not your first."

"That first was an accident," I argued, stalling. This would only gain me more enemies…

"Excuses, excuses." He tsked disapprovingly. "Well, then I'll just have to initiate it myself."

Shocked, I froze as he gripped my shoulders and pressed warm lips to mine, then drew back. "Niou…?"

He didn't seem to hear me. "Ah, they saw us. Perfect."

"_Perfect_?!" I exclaimed. "What the –"

"You'll see." The trickster winked and somehow managed to melt away into the dispersed crowd despite his distinctive appearance.

Apprehension gripped me. Marui had just witnessed a public kiss between his girlfriend and his best friend. That did _not_ bode well at all, for our budding relationship or for my physical well-being. I now had twice the number of accusing, appalled stares fixed on my back – but I could do nothing but hold my head high and get the drink I needed before heading back.

Yagyuu had already left by the time I returned, presumably to seek out his doubles partner. Which meant that Marui and I were alone.

The redhead raised an eyebrow at me. "Let me guess. Mistletoe?"

"What – how did you guess?!" It was plain uncanny for anyone to hit the answer on the first try…

"There's no other reason Niou'd kiss you," explained the tensai. "Especially not in public."

"Are you trying to imply something I should be pissed about?" I inquired.

He chuckled. "Nope. He knows I'd not be exactly happy to see my girl and him, kissing."

_My girl_… It was the first time he'd referred to me as such. I just about shivered in delight.

--

**A/N: So… here's the first chapter that's really about the party. There should be at least three chapters about it, since it's a pretty big key event in the plot.**

**Ahhhh, I love Marui! I've rekindled my love of all Rikkai! –fangirls- Forgive the randomness, but it is actually quite essential to my fic-writing ability, considering that all three of my unfinished fics are set in Rikkai!**

**Please review!**


	22. Handcuffs

**Chapter 21: ****Handcuffs**

"_YATTA_!!!" came a scream from another part of the room.

I winced at the shrill noise. "Seems like the Dance Queen has just been decided," I observed.

"Yeah." Marui eyed my untouched slice of cake. "Are you going to eat that?"

Both the girls' cakes and the boys' cakes had been given out already. With my allergy, I naturally avoided it – with his sweet tooth, Marui had dug into his.

Rolling my eyes, I pushed the plate over to him. "Take it; you didn't really need to ask, you know."

He grinned. "I'm being polite, that's all. Thanks."

"Perhaps I ought to take advantage of your politeness, since nobody knows when we're going to see it again," I quipped, watching in something akin to awe as he began his onslaught on the poor, defenseless cake. "Did you finish yours _already_?"

The redhead glanced up, giving me a playful wink. "What do you think?"

Suppressing the insistent inner fangirl who was screaming "_ka-wa-ii~!_" at the top of her tiny voice in my head with an effort, I shook my head. "You're impossible."

"I know." The cake crumbled, putting up no resistance. "That's why you love me, ne?"

Damn it, _I_ wasn't a cake! I shouldn't be crumbling like that! "Idiot," was the most eloquent comeback I could think of, though.

Marui just laughed. For some reason, it had an infuriating, knowing kind of ring to it that made me blush and long to hit him, hard – well, maybe not too hard…

"_May we invite the lucky winners to join us onstage for their coronation as this year's Dance King and Queen_!" came a pompous host's voice over the speakers. "_The two who found a plastic object inside your slice of cake, please come forward_!"

I craned to see the front of the hall. "Let's go further forward; I can't see a thing."

"O-kay, let's go then." He stretched luxuriously before tucking his hands into his pockets and heading for the stage. I followed, feeling somewhat miffed that he hadn't bothered to wait for me.

Before I could open my mouth to say so, though, he turned towards me, offering a hand. Half-embarrassed, half-pleased, I took it, ducking my head forward so that my hair would conceal the blush I knew was staining my cheeks.

Marui's hand was warm, with no trace of sweat, and his long digits gripped my own lightly, carefully. I could feel the rough calluses on his palm and fingers, marks left by his tennis training; I wondered whether he could feel my racing pulse through them…

It felt so _right_, so natural to be led by his hand in mine, albeit it rather far removed from the times when he dragged me along as we escaped whatever disaster Niou had caused or when he helped me up after I'd managed to trip yet again over my own feet. Before, I'd thought little of it – now, it felt like something of great significance.

Because there was no other reason for us to hold hands when both of us just stood here, side-by-side… but that we actually _wanted_ to do so, even without a practical purpose for the action. And that was what made the difference.

Suddenly, I felt him squeeze my hand, jerking me out of my reverie. "Ne, Kitari – Niou's on stage."

"_Niou_ – wait, _what_?!" My eyes widened to the size of saucepans. I whipped around to face the front, only to be confronted by the unusual sight of Niou's hand being held high in the air by the host (whom I didn't recognize), much like a boxer after winning a match. "Kami-sama, why is _he_ up there? What did he do this time?"

Marui's violet eyes held a familiar wicked twinkle. "He found a strange plastic object in his cake, that's what he did. And he's up there to be handcuffed to someone who looks suspiciously like one of my fangirls."

I did a double take. Sure enough, the girl standing up there blowing kisses to her adoring crowd was none other than Aiko, third in command of Marui's official fan club. She currently seemed oblivious to Niou's presence.

"_Congratulations, Aiko-chan, Niou-kun!_" said the host. I realized that I'd probably missed quite a bit of what the host had been saying, distracted by my thoughts earlier. "_This is quite unexpected! Both of you are middle-school students. The chances of this happening were extremely low._"

"Obviously he's shocked that neither of the winners were from high school," commented Marui.

I nodded in agreement. "But he does have a point. I'll bet Aiko bought it off someone... it _is_ possible…"

"Niou wouldn't, though – at least, I don't think he would," he said, popping his bubblegum.

The pop caught my attention. I didn't recall him blowing bubbles at any point before this tonight. "Did you finally realize that your bubblegum was crying out in desolation because you weren't paying it attention or what?" I inquired, half-teasingly.

He coughed, nearly choking on his bubblegum as he tried not to laugh. "Damn you , Kitari, you just _had_ to say that…"

"No, really – I haven't seen you blowing bubbles till now," I said. "It's simply not right."

Marui just smiled. "Well, guess then – _I_'m not telling."

About to pursue the question further, the host spoke again, cutting me off. "_As this is a very rare occasion, we would like to give the both of you an opportunity to say a few words on your feelings at this moment! Which of you would like to speak first? Aiko-chan? Alright, let's put our hands together for Aiko-chan!_"

Aiko sashayed up to the mike, flipping her highlighted hair with classic bimbo style and perfectly balanced in her glittery gold four-inch stiletto heels. Her accessories, which were equally gold and no less glittery, glowed against artificially tanned skin; her flashy tube minidress left little to the imagination.

I winced. "My eyes, they burn!"

Marui smiled evilly. "I wonder how Niou will deal with her…"

"_Haiiiii, minna-san! I'm Aiko, and I'm Marui-sama' biggest fan!_" cried Aiko.

"'World peace' coming up next, for sure," I said to Marui under the loud 'boo's presumably coming from the rest of his fan club.

He nodded. "And she'll thank her mother, her father, her manager –"

"Wait a sec..." I stared at him in amazement. "_You _watch beauty pageants?!"

Innocent as a bird, he blew another huge bubble. "Whoever said that?"

"_I think I'm really lucky to be Dance Queen, even though my King isn't Marui-sama!_" continued the fangirl. "_Niou-kun is also reeeeealy awesome!_"

"_BLASPHEMY_!!!" roared the members of both Marui and Niou's fan clubs.

I sighed. "Looks like she's not going to wish for world peace…"

"On the contrary – she seems to have incited World War III," remarked my partner.

Aiko was speaking again. "_Anyways, I just want to say that I'll really enjoy myself tonight as Dance Queen! Tankewe!_"

The fangirls' booing nearly drowned out her last word, which was a good thing because it was utterly saturated with the ultimate sickly sweet _kawaii~_ factored sugariness. However, the noise was quelled to some extent when Niou took the mike to speak.

"_I just want to say that I did not buy this thing, unlike _someone_ else, and I have no part in this organization at all. That's all,_" he said, almost tersely.

"_KYAAAH NIOU-SAMA WE LOVE YOU_!!!!" screamed his fangirls.

"_BOOYA_!!!" Marui's fangirls – well, booed.

"We're gonna die," I decided.

The host now took back the mike. "_As is the custom, the Dance King and Queen will be handcuffed together for the rest of their time here!_" He held up a pair of gaudy handcuffs that looked like they belonged to Aiko's gold-and-glitter ensemble.

Niou's fangirls cried out in horror. "_SACRILEGE_!!!"

"_BITCH_!!!" added Marui's fangirls, obviously still enraged at Aiko's unfaithfulness to their idol.

"Such language! I'm ashamed of them; a tensai like me deserves better!" tsked Marui in mock disapproval, drawing a surprised laugh from me.

And the fateful handcuffs closed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Are you sure we'll be safe here?" Marui looked rather dubious. "It's rather close to the main hall…"

I checked the door, then took the seat I'd occupied earlier when I'd been waiting for him to arrive. "You're being paranoid. Do you think they're both observant enough to notice this place _and_ careful enough to search it? _I_, for one, don't."

"I'll take your word for it, then." He started to poke around the dimly lit storeroom. "_Awesome_, there's food!"

"No wonder this storeroom is the _kitchen_'s storeroom," I commented, bland as milk.

He sulked. "You're supposed to be nice to me, _girlfriend_."

Taken aback at this sudden attack, I racked my brains for a suitable comeback. "Well, _you_'re supposed to protect me, _boyfriend_ – but Niou gets off scot-free, ne?"

Marui frowned. "That had nothing to do with this."

"Oh really? I fail to see how that may be possible," I retorted. "It has _everything_ to do with this!"

"It does not," argued the redhead. "He wanted –"

"Yes? What did he want?" I prompted when he paused.

Now Marui looked away. "Nothing."

"I don't believe you," I declared. "Spill, go on!"

:"Hush, they'll hear you," he shushed.

I rolled my eyes. "Don't change the subject!"

"It doesn't matter, okay?!" he exclaimed, apparently frustrated. "_It doesn't matter_. So forget about it, will you – please?"

His amethyst gaze was pleading, and reluctantly, I backed down. "Fine, then." How did it come to this?

Outside, several female voices could still be heard. The fangirls were still there, and still bent on revenge. Perhaps we weren't as safe as I'd thought…

Turning, I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped short. My words died in my throat, my breath caught at what I saw…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: I LIVE!!!!**

… **okay that was lame. But I **_**am**_** alive, no matter what it seems like… :-X I'm really, really sorry for updating so late!**

**See, I've been having these absolutely unbearable muscle spasms since the exams. Recently they got a lot worse – so much so that I couldn't type or write, it was that painful. I've been running around to see all kinds of doctors (I'm probably still radioactive from the MRI and X-rays) as well as going for massages to try to reduce the ache, but it was only when the neurosurgeon sent me to see an anesthetist for dry needle pain therapy (a.k.a. acupuncture) that it's begun to recede… and after two sessions, I am finally able to update! :D**

**Well, I hope you enjoy the fluff in this chapter ^^ Tell me what you think!**

**Please Review!**


	23. Moonlight

**Chapter 22: Moonlight**

(Recap)

_Turning, I opened my mouth to say something, but stopped short. My words died in my throat, my breath caught at what I saw…_

(End Recap)

Marui was leaning against the wall just beside the long window, thrown into relief by the soft moonlight that filtered through the dusty panes as if they were of frosted glass. His skin glowed palely; his eyes glimmered, bright and distant as stars at dusk.

The window itself seemed like a luminous column, with the tiny dust particles gathered on it cutting out the reflected glare of the white snow outside. Darkly outlined against it, Marui's hands were in his pockets, his head resting on the wall at the edge of the glass.

_So gorgeous…_ Realizing that I was still holding my breath, I quickly exhaled, then continued feasting my eyes on him.

On second glance, I noticed that Marui's shoulders were uncharacteristically slumped, and his eyes appeared downcast, focused beyond the window. He had that slightly frustrated, serious expression I had only seen in the rare times he was having some difficulty figuring out something. Clearly, he wasn't in the best of moods.

I gnawed at my lips, unconscious of the damage I was doing to the lip balm I had so painstakingly applied earlier on that night. Was it my fault for being so pushy just now about the whole Niou incident…?

But if that was the case, what was _he_ being so secretive about? _Why_ was he being so defensive? There were so many grey areas in this situation… I hated it being that way.

I wanted to know if he really liked me, or if he was merely doing this as a friendly favor so that I wouldn't be dateless. Of course, it being a convenient excuse to escape his fangirls didn't hurt either.

He had to know I didn't hate him; more the contrary in fact! Still, I never knew where I stood with him – one moment he was so caring and thoughtful, the next he was making another of those twisted jokes and being such an infuriating idiot I longed to kick him someplace tender

I didn't know what he thought of me; what I thought of him, I knew little better. It frustrated me no end, yet I'd never had the courage to ask him to the face all the questions that wouldn't leave me alone.

Did he like me? Did he think me an irritating, pretentious, shameless idiot to think he would ever like me, just as his fangirls believed? Did he know that the hate I once professed had been replaced by this far more confusing and chaotic emotion that I as yet still dared not name?

I massaged throbbing temples, pressing the heels of my palms into my eyes. I had no right to be thinking of all these things, not when I'd been bitching at Marui not five minutes ago over a trivial matter like Niou's idiosyncrasies.

Good Kami-sama, I truly envied the way Niou and Yagyuu understood each other so completely and so perfectly… there had never been a time when I had been able to comprehend Marui's thoughts and actions, and there probably never would be such a time, ever.

"Kitari."

I snapped out of my miserable thoughts immediately. He was talking… to me? I tried to answer, but my throat had gone so dry that all that emerged was a squeak. Licking my lips, I tried again. "Um… I'm really sorry for bitching at –"

"Kitari," he repeated I stopped short, letting my apology go unfinished.

Suddenly Marui turned and faced me, looking straight into my eyes. It felt like he could see everything I was thinking, staring all the way into my very soul…

"What am I to you, Kitari?" he asked, quietly.

I couldn't answer.

"Why do you go out of your way to disagree with me?" He was now walking towards me, slowly, unhurriedly; I unconsciously tensed. "Why do you row with me and fuss over the least little things?"

"I –" I began, but he cut across me.

"Tell me, how is it that you swung from hate to love within one autumn –" Closer, relentlessly approaching me… "– when for years we quarreled on sight?" He was so close… I could feel the heat radiating from him. "You never hated me, did you? You were only afraid."

His hands landed on the wall behind me, one on each side of my head, but they were unnecessary – I was already pinned under his gaze as firmly as an insect hung in a display case, unable to do anything but stare up at him.

Those beautiful amethyst eyes, hooded in shadow, gleamed darkly. "I don't want you to be afraid of me, Kitari."

My eyelids flew wide open in shock as he closed that last inch of space and pressed warm lips to mine. Marui's scent – of salt, spice and apple bubblegum – made my head spin; I fisted my hands in my skirt, instinctively trying to grip something as if to keep from losing my grasp on reality.

After what seemed like eternity, he slowly pulled away, breaking contact almost reluctantly. I could only look at him, wide-eyed, slack-jawed and speechless.

Marui Bunta had kissed me. Me. Shu Kitari. The weirdo sister of Shu Kiyou. The skinny freak who looked like a ghost at night. The one who hated him – no.

He was right. I didn't hate him. I liked him. No, scratch that. I was head-over-heels in love with him. With Marui Bunta, the third most popular guy in the level.

This had to be a dream. It was too bizarre to be real… I'd wake up any second to find myself alone…

I pinched myself hard, and gasped at the resulting pain. He was still there, standing so close that his breath warmed my cheeks…

Maybe it _wasn't_ a dream.

Awed, I slowly raised a hand, reaching across the few inches between us to touch him, to ascertain his reality to my still-unbelieving self. Marui didn't move; he almost seemed to understand what I was thinking at that point. I could feel his heartbeat under the hand I'd laid on his chest…

Realizing that I'd left it there for longer than necessary, I quickly withdrew my hand, my cheeks burning even more hotly than ever. Why wasn't he saying anything? _Say something… anything… just say something so that I'll know…_

Know what? Know where I really stood? Know exactly why he had suddenly decided to pull something like this on me?

It clearly wasn't a dream… but it could be that he was doing this on a bet, or a challenge, or just playing me for _fun_…

But what he'd said didn't sound like it was any of them…

"Kitari?"

I jumped in surprise, dropping my handbag onto the floor. "Um, sorry, I'm such a klutz, don't mind me," I babbled, laughing nervously. The sound rang hollowly of fakeness in my own ears. _When had he dropped the honorifics?_

He smiled, not his usual carefree, lighthearted, mischievous smile, but one that I'd only seen more recently – one that was warm, caring, caressing, even sweet. "Kitari, shut up."

I immediately pulled up short, watching almost incredulously as he bent to pick it up. When he straightened, I opened my mouth to ask something, but he cut me off before I could speak. "You wanted to know what Niou said to me, right?"

"Um… yeah," I nodded uncertainly, unsure of where this was going. _Was it a bet after all…?_

Once again, that smile tugged at his lips. "He told me that I'd lose you to someone else if I didn't claim you first."

I blinked. "Is _that_ why he got me under the mistletoe?"

"Yup." Marui looked simultaneously amused and exasperated by the trickster's actions. "Well, he _did _make his point. Very strongly at that."

All I could do was stare at him, still not quite comprehending what was going on as my brain struggled to process this massive overload of information.

Suddenly he laughed. "Remember when you tripped and fell, last time in your shop, and we accidentally kissed?"

I nodded mutely.

"We were both so shocked and disgusted by it, weren't we? Now look at us – no, you," he said, grinning impishly. "What a vast difference…"

For some reason, that helped me to relax. "Shut up," I ordered, but soon gave way to laughter when he ignored me. The tension dissipated as we filled the room with the sound of mirth, and he leaned close again…

Then the door clicked open, and everything shattered.

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(Flashback)

Shortly after Niou and Aiko were cuffed together, the fangirls (Niou's and Marui's) went on a rampage of sorts.

Like enraged groupies whose idols had been insulted, they began what seemed to be a mass catfight, with both fan clubs insisting that _their_ idol was _the_ best (I was rather surprised to find that they had members from the high school section even though both Niou and Marui were still in middle school). Anyone with sense made themselves scarce – there were few brave souls willing to try and stop the fight, and the fangirls had no regard for innocent bystanders. A thrown stool was a thrown stool. If you got in its way, that was your own problem.

Marui had concluded that showing his face would not be the best thing to do at that point, which was why we'd decided to hide in the storeroom. Niou too had vanished from the battleground – whether he'd managed to rid himself of Aiko, I didn't know, but even if those handcuffs were supposedly made to withstand any efforts to break them, Niou could probably find a way to do so.

The only problem was… the fangirls weren't too caught up to notice us slipping away.

They followed us on a wild chase, round and round and up and down the building, before we managed to slip into the storeroom without them noticing. Rabid fans were very hard to escape.

Our pursuers were from both fan clubs, and as such, they didn't cooperate. That was what gave us the chance. In any case, getting caught by either didn't bode well for me or for Marui. He'd be ripped up; I'd be chewed up. Neither of us particularly looked forward to that.

The last we saw of the main hall, there was a huge food fight going on, with muffins and spaghetti flying past our noses; the floor was an utter mess. My dad certainly wasn't going to be pleased. Nor would the cleaners.

(End Flashback)

We'd both forgotten the fangirls were still hunting us down. It was our laughter that gave us away to them, and they'd jumped onto the lead like cats on their prey. The lock had been picked so fast we barely registered what had happened before they were upon us.

"_You_!!" The word dripped with pure venom. "Get away from Marui-sama, _now_!"

The next second, I was flying across the room, hitting the wall and crumpling to the floor like a rag doll. When I tried to sit up, my head spun like a top, and I could clearly see stars. _When did they clean the window?_ I wondered giddily. Then the world went black.

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**A/N:**** Again, I'm very sorry for taking so long to update. (This line is seriously getting old…) I really wanted to finish this chapter before I left for Melbourne on Monday, but it just didn't quite work out. Fluff is tough to write… :-X Well, at least I finished it this week, I suppose (had to rush when I got back T.T).**

**I hope everyone can understand what's going on here. The timeline is pretty screwed up – the flashback in the second section in this chappie continues from the linebreak in the first section of the previous chappie, while the recap is the last part of the previous chappie. Does that make sense…? If you could tell which part started where without having to read it twice, that's awesome, but it's not likely – particularly since it's been that long since I updated. DX**

**Please Review!**


	24. Conversations

**Chapter 23: ****Conversations**

The first thing I noticed when I came to was that my head hurt. Badly. Rather like it had been mistaken for a ball and used to play squash or baseball with. Probably squash, since I felt as though I'd been rattling about quite a bit.

Once I'd finished processing the fact that my head was throbbing like a drum, I realized that my lips were burning… and someone was talking to me.

"… don't know why, really. You were always there, always different, always at the fringe of my vision. I thought I knew you, but I didn't…"

It was Marui speaking. Marui, the reason my mouth was raw with allergic burns. Oh Kami-sama… we'd really been kissing, back there before the fangirls barged in. My head was all in a jumble, full of tangled emotions, and the headache wasn't helping.

"I could never really place you; you never quite conformed. You weren't part of any group, but floated around at the edges. I didn't know what to make of you. You weren't a fangirl like the rest; nor were you a nerd or a sports person. A little of everything and something of nothing – that's what you were."

He was still talking, but the words weren't really reaching me. I was in too muddled a state of mind. For one thing… where, exactly, was I right now?

"I admit, I didn't notice you much. There was tennis, and school, and fans by the dozen all occupying my valuable mind space. I dismissed you as just another classmate, the girl who was Kiyou-sempai's sister and Shu-ji-san's daughter, not really someone worth my notice."

Judging from the feel, I was on a bed – not just any bed,_ my_ bed. That meant that I was at home. How had I gotten home? The last I remember, I was in the back storeroom of the school hall…

There was a small laugh from somewhere next to me. "Then you slapped me. Did I ever tell you it was far more painful than it should have been considering how skinny you are? I was so shocked by you, by the pain… much more than I might have let on."

How long had I been asleep? What time was it now? Why was Marui still here?

"You really showed me. You forced me to wake up and take notice, to look around and see… things that I never knew of or bothered to know of..."

I longed to open my eyes to see the clock, but dared not. I had finally started to catch on to what he was saying, and if he knew I was awake, he'd probably stop – which was _not_ what I wanted him to do. I wanted to hear more.

"I didn't realize before how selfish, self-centered, _blind_ I was. I saw only what I wanted to see; heard only what I wanted to hear. You made me open my eyes and see… I never knew you suffered at my expense; you who had barely any connection to me."

Was that a good thing? I hope so…

There was a short pause. "I thought I knew you, but you proved me wrong. You never did what I predicted. Most people do. For one thing, you didn't go starry-eyed the moment I paid some attention to you… you glared at me with fear and hate in your eyes. It was a refreshing change, a girl who could do that with me."

_I'm_ never _starry-eyed at anyone,_ I thought indignantly. I contemplated telling him that out loud, but I decided that hearing more would be more interesting… more educational… more insightful?

"Once I started to keep an eye on you, I found that it was considerably entertaining. You were different from the rest… you didn't act cute, you didn't gossip, you didn't socialize much. Well, Akiko-chan was rather like you, too… but I knew she watched me, so I didn't pay her any mind. You, on the other hand… you didn't."

I _did_ watch him… not much, though, and not because I liked him; more for self-preservation.

"Then there was that project Mura-buchou was in charge of. Oh yes, that was fun." Here he gave a small chuckle. "You, me, Akiko and Niou, together on a crazy day trip to Tokyo. If it hadn't been fun, it'd have been chaos… well, I guess it was a little of both. Do you still remember that train ride we had?"

Do I remember? How could I forget? The memory of wandering hands in the cramped train and Marui's arms around me resurfaced with disturbing clarity. I suppressed a shudder.

"You were so foolishly brave, so vulnerably open in your alarm and revulsion... I couldn't help but try to protect you. That was the first time you accepted such closeness with me… it seems you only let me near when you need help, isn't it? Just like that incident with the lizard…"

Kami-sama, the lizard. I had most certainly not gotten over my fear of lizards yet. Ugh. Slimy, disgusting things…

Another pause. "I must say, you got a lot more used to me once Akiko-chan left," he said, sounding rather amused. "Maybe it's not very nice of me, but I'm almost happy she did…"

I held my breath. Surely he would say something really out of my dreams next…?

Suddenly there was a knock, and the door opened. "Oh, Marui. You're still here? Aren't you going to go home?"

You bastard, Kiyou… just _had_ to ruin the moment, didn't you? I cursed my brother silently. Gah. Damn it all. First fangirls, now Kiyou. Was there no privacy for a girl here?

"I thought I'd stay till she woke up," answered Marui. "It _was_ partly my fault that she got knocked out the way she was."

Kiyou chuckled. "You shouldn't worry so much. She breaks like a twig but mends as fast as a bamboo grows. In fact, I'd think she'd be awake by now." He came over, so close that I could hear him breathing – literally breathing down my neck. I couldn't suppress a shudder.

"Ki-ta-ri… wa-ke up," sang my infuriating brother. Damn it, Kami-sama, he _knew_ I was awake – and that meant that I couldn't just lie here like this! I was getting a neck cramp, and it was all Kiyou's fault. That _idiot_.

I shifted, pretending to have just been roused from sleep, pushing aside my pillows and rolling over. "Mmmph… Kiyou?"

"Told you she'd be awake," he said triumphantly to Marui. To me, he added, "Wakey wakey, dear lil' sistah. Your boyfriend's here to see you, and you're going to sleep the day away?" He tsked, sounding very much like a mother hen.

Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, delaying the moment when I had to face the world again. "Nnn… What's that supposed to mean?" I feigned ignorance of Marui's presence – it wouldn't do if I acted as if I knew, would it?

Then I removed my hands and found myself looking into large amethyst eyes. Immediately I flinched back in real surprise, barely suppressing a scream. "What the _freak_?! Marui!?!" He was so close, damn it!

"How mean… you just called me a freak," complained the redhead, pretending to sniffle. "I feel so hurt. Anyways, what happened to…" He gestured towards my mouth.

"Hurt, my foot. That's the result of my sugar allergy. I didn't think you'd been chewing bubblegum!" I protested. "Besides, Were _you_ beaten up by those rabid fangirls of yours and Niou's?"

He smiled crookedly. "Well, not exactly…"

My brother grinned at that. "You didn't know anything of what happened, after they got you?"

"Nope," I said, slightly defensive. "Whose fault is it…?" I glanced up at the ceiling in mock contemplation.

Kiyou's grin only grew. "See, Kitari, at the time when you were doing what you were doing down in the kitchen stores, our dear Niou decided to go on a kissing rampage."

I blinked. "A _what_?!"

"A kissing rampage," repeated Marui. "I heard about it, later."

"I think it was the stress from being handcuffed to someone like Aiko," commented my brother. "He must have been out of his mind, really."

"So… what exactly did he do?" I looked from Kiyou to Marui and back, nervous with anticipation.

The redhead gave me an amused glance. "He just about jumped and kissed anyone and everyone on sight… or so I hear."

"Was that… a good thing?" I ventured.

My brother laughed. "What do you think?"

"Eto… no?" Niou's fangirls may have been happy, but Marui's may not have, and Niou's fangirls would be upset that he was kissing people who weren't his fans…

"Spot on. If we'd thought what had happened earlier was bad… let's just say that this was much, much worse. It was utter chaos," declared Kiyou. "They redefined large-scale catfights, man. I was _so_ glad I managed to stay out of it."

'Oh. But…" I frowned. "I thought Niou was dating Yagyuu-kun?"

Marui grinned sheepishly. "I – well, both of us, except that you were unconscious – came across them later. They were making out so… um… heatedly… I thought it best to leave them their privacy..."

I winced. "Right. So what happened to _you_? Did the fangirls –"

"I gave them a piece of my mind," interrupted the redhead. He wasn't smiling so cheerfully now. "I should have done it a long time ago; it was way overdue. But at least I gave it in the end – and it got rid of them. It was only temporary, though. I barely got us out safely."

"Well… thanks," I said, for lack of anything better to say. Moving on, I asked, "What happened after that?"

It was Kiyou who answered. "He brought you here. It was quite a sight, I can tell you – he was piggybacking you, and you were like draped over him –"

"Shut up," both Marui and I cut him off simultaneously, blushing in embarrassment.

"Okay, okay." My brother raised his hands in surrender. "Anyways, breakfast is ready. Shall we?"

"Breakfast?" I looked around for the clock and discovered that it was nine in the morning. "Wait a sec. Does that mean that you were here _overnight_?!" I stared at Marui in amazement. "I seem to remember that that's a privacy violation of some sort –"

"Cool it, Kitari. I _wasn't_ here overnight. Your dad and brother wouldn't have liked it, and _my_ parents definitely wouldn't have liked it either," explained the boy. "Kiyou-sempai here, no matter what he may say, is pretty traditional when it comes to his little sister."

Kiyou looked injured. "I heard that, you know."

Suddenly my stomach growled. I made a face. "What did you say about breakfast?"

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The chaos of the Christmas Dance took almost a week to settle, at the end of which the Christmas holidays arrived and allowed us to heave a sigh of relief. It was a strange week, namely because of the odd way the fangirls were now leaving me alone.

I had been part of Marui's group of friends for a reasonable length of time, but they had never liked the thought that I was so close to their idol and went out of their way to show veiled nastiness to me. The rumor of my flashing (by now, the story had evolved so much that the lizard was no longer present) was still going around, and I was sure that I wasn't clumsy enough to trip _quite_ so many times when I walked past them.

That was before the dance. Now, though, it was almost as though they had decided to accept me as a part of their idols. Perhaps it was because I no longer had the potential of becoming Marui's girlfriend, but I actually _was_ Marui's girlfriend. Who knew how fangirls' minds work?

Whatever the case, it was the first time since Marui had started coming to my shop regularly and a fan club had been formed in his name that I was able to go through my days without any explicit fangirls attacks.

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**A/N: Well, it's over a month late, and you all know the drill… I apologize for the very late update, etc. ****La-di-da.**

**Okay, ignore my nonsense. I hope this chapter was understandable. I couldn't find the time to write a lot of it at once, so most of it was cobbled together – one sentence yesterday, another today, and so on. So if it seems a bit stilted, you know why. :-X Fluff has always been difficult for me to write, and school is so damn screwed up that I just can't write nice fluffy stuff – more like angst and hardcore yaoi kind of mood. O.o**

**This chapter isn't very eventful, but it's supposed to clear up doubts on why Marui and Kitari are together, and what happened afterwards at the dance. Yeah. Tell me what you think, ne? :)**

**Please Review! Reviews make me feel happy and loved and in the mood for fluff! XD**


	25. Date

**Chapter 24: Date**

I frowned at the message I had just received on my cell phone. Checking the sender again, I confirmed that Marui had sent the message… but since when had Marui decided to decorate messages with _hearts_?!

_3 Hey Kitari, are you free today? Wanna meet up? I'm at the train station =D Hope you can come! 3_

Yes, it was definitely strange. The smileys weren't so astonishing (he used them a _lot_), but as far as I knew, Marui did _not_ add hearts onto his messages unless it was a practical joke…

…meaning that this was a practical joke.

That wasn't good either. I didn't like the idea of Marui inviting me out as a practical joke. We _were _supposed to be dating – albeit we had yet to go on a real one-on-one date. Still, that wasn't the point! It was still insulting, dammit! Ah, it was probably Niou. He likely stole Marui's phone and sent that weird message. That bastard, was he trying to make me go there and hang around the park like an abandoned puppy? Huh, forget it! I know better than to fall for that!

But what if Marui really meant it? What if he was really waiting for me? What if, by some crazy chance, he'd gotten it into his head that hearts were a good idea for embellishing text messages?

After all, the hyper tone and the smileys were _very_ Marui-ish. The phrasing, even. Just… the hearts didn't fit. How did they get there?

I checked the clock. It was just past lunch, and I was at a loose end for today. Perhaps I _should_ go, if only to find out whether he'd suffered severe brain damage to make him add hearts onto his message.

_Yup, I'm free. On my way =)_

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To my great relief, the message turned out to be for real. Marui was leaning against one of the pillars outside the train station with his hands in his pockets and earphones plugged in, a picture of lazy calm. Female passers-by cast him looks of approval; I too savored the image for a few moments before approaching him.

Noticing me, he smiled and removed his earphones. "For once you're quick to get somewhere."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" I inquired, though he _did_ have a point. I had a very bad habit of being late, but my curiosity had taken over this time and I'd made it to the train station in record time. "Anyways, did you know that you added hearts onto that message you sent? I got worried for your sanity!"

"Hearts? What hearts? I don't remember putting in any," said Marui, looking puzzled.

I pulled out my cell phone to show him the proof. "There. Hearts at the beginning and the end of the message. How are you going to explain that?"

Just then, his own cell phone beeped, signifying the arrival of a text message. He took it out and, flipping it open, skimmed the message. His forehead crinkled. "Hmm. Seems like Kirihara also got a message with hearts."

"Kirihara-kun? Kami-sama, Marui, what on earth are you doing? Is there something wrong with your phone?" I could just imagine what Kirihara's reaction to the heart-decorated message would be like – very loud and very violently energetic.

"Now that you mention it, Niou had possession of it the whole of last night. He probably programmed it to add hearts onto whatever messages I sent." His fingers moved swiftly over the keypad, navigating the phone with the ease of practice.

"Why did he have your phone?" I asked, baffled.

Not looking up, the redhead answered, "I left it at his house by accident… well, for all I know he might've taken it while I was there… Done." His face lit up in triumph; apparently he'd finished reprogramming the phone.

"So, why did you call me out?" I inquired. So far, there had been no clue as to his intentions.

"Well…" Marui ran his fingers through his hair, clearly embarrassed. "I was just thinking, we've never really gone out in the literal sense. Since we're on holiday now, I thought maybe we should do something…"

I stared at him, wide-eyed. I'd never thought he'd come up with something like this right out of the blue. "Wait, let me guess. My brother's been hounding you?" I tried, suspicious.

He looked hurt. "Am I really that superficial?"

"No; no, you're not," I hurried to reassure him. "Just… I really wasn't expecting…"

"It was quite a random idea for me too," Marui admitted. "But it seemed like a good one, so… well, I got us tickets to go to Disneyland, if you don't mind –"

"Of course I don't mind!" Pathetic as it was, I'd never been to the biggest amusement park in our country in my life. I was not exaggerating when I said, "I'd _love_ to go!"

This time, _he_ was suspicious. "Really…"

"Yes!" Completely forgetting that we were in public, I threw my arms around him. "Thanks _so_ much! Kami-sama, Marui, I _love_ you!"

"… Thanks for that very public declaration of your affections," he said, effectively reminding me of where we were.

I immediately let go of him and stepped away, blushing furiously. "Umm… sorry…"

He too was blushing, albeit nowhere near as badly as I was. "It's okay. You have every right."

The stares of the passers-by bored into my back, uncomfortably reminiscent of the way the fangirls' glares used to. I bit my lip, willing them to look away even though I knew it was useless. "They're _staring_," I whispered fiercely at him.

"So they are. Do we care?" A warm hand took hold of mine. "Let's go; the train's going to leave any minute."

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"_Due to a power failure, the lights have momentarily been disabled. The ride is unaffected,_" came a synthesized voice over the speakers. "_Please continue to enjoy yourselves. We will fix the problem immediately._"

I sighed. Of _course_, things would just _have_ to go wrong on so important an occasion for me. Standing in the pitch darkness, I felt around for Marui. There'd been a mild commotion at the blackout, but I was quite sure I knew where he was. "Ne Marui-kun, let's just go on now."

"Mm." It seemed that it was the general opinion of the people in the waiting area – the whole group began pressing towards the gondolas that we were supposed to ride.

"Wait your turn, please!" entreated the ushers, trying in vain to organize the large group of determined tourists. Eventually, we managed to get a boat and followed the rest of the fleet.

Peaceful silence engulfed us as we coasted along the waterway in the darkness. What with the excitement of the day, I was feeling a bit lightheaded. Taking advantage of the darkness, I shifted closer towards him – he didn't move away, and I smiled happily. _Today is really a great day…_ "Thanks, Marui-kun," I whispered. Not waiting for a reply, I leaned against him, closing my eyes with a sigh.

Suddenly, the lights came back on, and I heard an unintelligible shout followed by a scream of "_MARUI-KUUUUUUN_!!!" Puzzled (after all, Marui was right next to me), I opened my eyes and looked around…

… only to join in the chorus of screams. "WHO THE HECK ARE _YOU_?!!"

The person whom I'd been sitting next to raised one dark silver eyebrow. "Arn? You do not know who Ore-sama is? Ore-sama is –"

I didn't bother to listen further, instead frantically looking around at the other gondolas. Two gondolas away, I spotted a familiar shock of red-pink hair. The person with the hair was, of course, my wayward date. He was currently fending off a very enthusiastic orange-haired _male_ companion in the boat, with limited success. The gondolier was having a tough time keeping the craft from crashing or capsizing; his fellows on the neighboring gondolas quickly steered clear.

Having confirmed his whereabouts, I now had time to freak out about my own situation. I'd just been up close and personal with this… this beauty-spotted egoistical freak of a guy?! And I'd not suspected a thing!

"_You_!" I pointed accusingly at him. "You could hear me calling you 'Marui', couldn't you? Why didn't you _say_ anything?! I am _so_ embarrassed now, all because of _you_!!"

He raised his other eyebrow. "Ore-sama had no part in this. You humiliated your own self, peasant."

I barely resisted the urge to bang my head on the side of the boat. For one, it wasn't going to help at all; two, it was rather low and I didn't fancy placing my ass in a position where it was more elevated than my face.

A boy with golden cat-like eyes and dark hair in the next boat adjusted his cap. "Mada mada dane."

"You little mmmngphf!" I struggled violently, prevented from strangling him by the Ore-sama guy in my boat. _Oh Kami-sama why does this have to happen?!!!_

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A short time later, when we'd gotten well away from the rest of that crowd, I was still fuming. "That asshole! Who does he think he is anyway, the owner of this place?!"

Marui smiled crookedly. "He is."

"_What_?!"

"Seriously. He's _Atobe Keigo_, the narcissist among narcissists and the filthy rich of the filthy rich. His family owns something like half of Tokyo's commercial and industrial sectors…"

"That's just _too_ rich." I couldn't begin to imagine how a single family could own so much – after all, I don't even own a decent _bike_ myself.

"I agree with you there. That's why he's as swollen-headed as he is. You haven't seen his fanbase – his whole school _and_ Hyotei's external tennis club attend all his matches and cheer like their lives depend on it." The redhead laughed, as if embarrassed. "The fans _I_ have don't even begin to compare."

Elbowing him, I scolded, "Stop feeling inadequate or you'll really look pathetic. And enough of the mind-boggling facts. We're here to enjoy, not ogle people's bank account balances."

"True," he conceded. "But might I know _how_ you managed to mistake _him_ for me?"

I colored up instantly. "Well, he didn't say anything when I used your name, and he didn't pull away or anything…"

He frowned. "What were you _doing_ that he might need to pull away?"

"Nothing! How could you mistake that weird fanboy to be _me_, anyways?" I shot back.

"He was _sleeping_! So he was totally unresponsive, then halfway through he suddenly leaned on my shoulder –" Marui cut himself off mid-sentence. "Anyways, when I realized that it wasn't you, I pushed him off immediately!"

"Why did you cut yourself off, hmm?" I gave him the _look_.

"Aw come on Kitari, don't be so hard on me!" he pleaded. "I'm sorry, okay?"

Those liquid violet eyes, even after all this time, were too much for me. I melted immediately. "Okay, okay," I relented. It wasn't as though I was blameless either. "Where shall we go next?"

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"Hey, that ride looks great!" Marui pointed at the huge, wildly twisting and soaring structure of a rollercoaster.

I peered at it. "What's it called… 'Raging Spirits'? That sounds creepy…"

"It's a _rollercoaster_; how creepy can it be? Stomach-turning, maybe, but not _creepy_. Let's go!" He moved purposefully towards the long queue not too far off. Giving in, I followed.

Ten minutes later, we were strapped inside a carriage and whirling around the track, screaming blue murder along with the other passengers. As the carriage slowed and began to climb steeply upwards, I felt a strong sense of foreboding building up. It was as I'd expected – just as we reached the top of that incline, we plummeted sharply, rising into yet another incline. I gasped as the negative-gravity hit me, feeling as though I'd left half my innards twenty meters above.

In the breathless moment that we hung at the top of the second dizzying height, I felt a hand touch mine. Glancing over, I saw Marui directing a reassuring smile at me. Even as we tipped over, going into what felt like freefall, I could still feel his hand gripping mine. My confidence surged; we were in this together. Almost immediately, my screams changed from screams of shock to screams of exhilaration.

When we got off at the end of the ride, my knees were shaking, but I decided that it wasn't as bad as I'd thought it would be.

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We decided on an early dinner at a cozy establishment with a good view of Mount Prometheus. It was no romantic candlelight experience; on the contrary, we had mini food fights, horsing around and generally making fools of ourselves.

"You idiot!" I scolded, glaring at the meatball that had landed, after a fashion, right in my lemonade. It sat pretty on top of an ice cube, red sauce floating shamelessly around it in a distorted circle. "And you're supposed to be a tennis player! What kind of throw was that, anyway?"

He had the decency to make an attempt at abjectness. "… I thought you'd catch it... you know, tennis involves hitting more than throwing…"

"That's not the point. The point is that I now have a _meatball_ in my lemonade, which means you're going to have to get me a new drink," I informed him with a blindingly bright smile.

Marui threw up his hands. "Have it your way."

The real calamity struck later, when we were about to pay the bill. It was probably the worst thing that could have happened.

"That will be 4800 yen, please," said the waiter, who looked uncannily familiar. One doesn't often see people with perfect smiles that never falter – not in real life, anyway. I glanced at his badge, which read, "Fuji Syuusuke". It looked like a part-timer's badge. _Fuji Syuusuke…_ where had I heard that name before?

Marui gave the waiter a queer look, but did not comment. "Yes, hang on a sec." He felt in his pocket, then, frowning, rummaged about his whole person. "Wait a moment…" His movements grew increasingly agitated; he searched through each pocket again in vain. "Damn, where _is_ it?!"

Anxiety began to creep over me as I watched. Marui didn't usually get so worked up. "What's wrong?"

He looked up, violet eyes troubled. "I can't find my wallet!"

_Oh Kami-sama, must nothing go right for me – for us?_ "Where do you think you might've dropped it?"

Marui opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by a polite cough from the waiter. "Might I be correct in guessing that you have misplaced your cash and currently have no means of paying the bill?"

"Kitari, I'm really sorry, but do you happen to have enough on you?" Marui's pleading gaze was irresistible; even though I felt like telling him it was his own fault, I knew that that would just be evil. I dutifully searched my own belongings and, after a long, tense moment, finally extracted a crumpled 1000-yen note.

"That's all I have," I said apologetically.

The waiter was still smiling. "I believe there is still a deficit of 3800 yen."

Marui clenched his eyes shut for a second, then turned to face the waiter. "Fuji, I'm really sorry, but we can't pay. I don't think there is a very high chance of my getting my wallet back soon. Is there anything we could do to cover the cost of our meal?

Fuji's smile widened. "Of course there is."

And that was how we came to be washing plates at the back of the restaurant. Fuji had vanished with a tall, bespectacled brunette, who looked like the complete opposite of the ever-smiling boy, and left us to watch Mount Prometheus' famous firework display – while washing dishes.

"This is all your fault," I fumed, though I didn't really mean it. He didn't want his wallet stolen, either.

"I know…" he sighed. "I promise, I'll make it up to you some other time, okay?"

_Good, so there _will_ be a next time._ "You had better."

Fireworks bloomed in the distance, making the night sky blaze in a multitude of brilliant colors. The image of Fuji and his brunette partner bathing in the glow of those fire flowers appeared unbidden in my mind's eye; I pushed it to the back of my mind, determined not to think about it.

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"Would this be the item you are searching for?" inquired the man at the service counter, producing a familiar bleached denim wallet.

Marui's eyes widened. "Yes, that's mine! Thank you so much!"

"It wasn't much trouble. Someone brought it in not long ago," replied the man. "Have a nice time."

As we walked out, I asked, "Is everything intact?"

He had already opened it and was looking through the contents. "Yeah. Amazing. I was sure they'd take the money. After all, this place has so many tourists…"

"You're lucky, then," I commented. "_Now_ we have enough to go home!"

Marui gave me a part-exasperated, part-amused look. "You had your train card on you the whole time. I'm sure we could've gotten home.'

I pouted. "Aww, you're no fun."

We headed towards the train station. The place was comparatively quiet; it wasn't near enough to closing time to be flooded with the hundreds of tourists rushing to leave the theme park.

At this time, the train too was empty. We easily found seats and settled down for the return journey.

After a long moment of silence, I said, "Thanks for today. It was really fun."

He laughed sheepishly. "You don't need to lie so as not to hurt my feelings, you know."

"No; really," I disagreed. "It _was_ fun. Even if it wasn't so… conventional."

Marui opened his mouth as if to argue, but closed it again with a resigned smile. "Thanks, Kitari."

Impulsively, I leaned against him, resting my head on his shoulder. When he didn't pull away, I smiled. "It's nothing."

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OMAKE

"Oh Kami-sama, we've missed our stop!"

"What?!"

"We both fell asleep! Now we're in Ofuna!"

"… Damn."

OWARI

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**A/N: I'm **_**so**_** sorry I took so long to update. Again. It's been… two months, I think. That's somewhat better than my other fics, which have been rotting since the new year. O.o**

**Anyways, this is the last chapter of this fic! Hopefully it's an acceptable ending. Never been that great at endings… :-X It's an ultra-long chappie 'cause I didn't think I could keep it going long enough to split it into two, and also because it's the final and I don't particularly feel like doing an epilogue. Tell me what you think =) I personally think this chapter could have been much better-written, since I did it in bits and pieces and it may not be as coherent as the first few chappies. T.T**

**Credits to Shu-chan, without whom I would never have been able to write most of this fic, and for the ideas for this chappie in particular. –hugs–**

**And today's my birthday! I vowed I'd finish it by the time I turned fifteen, and I have accomplished it! WOOOOHTS!!!**

… **Well, that's about all I have to say. Do leave me your thoughts and opinions so that I'd know how to improve my writing =)**

**Please Review! ^^**


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